As we face a critical moment, there are countless ways that people can unite and rise to defend democracy.

Litigation, voter registration, volunteering at the polls, advocating to Congress — millions of us do this annually to protect and preserve our rights, including the right to vote.

Throughout the history of activism, peaceful protest is one of the most sacred forms of promoting change. Look at the suffrage marches of the early 20th century that many of our founders participated in, the Montgomery bus boycott of the civil rights era, and Estonia's "Singing Revolution" (when protesters gathered and sang for five days and nights to protest Soviet rule).

One crucial component of all these protests is that they were not performed in a vacuum. They were carried out in partnership, across people and organizations — maximizing people power by uniting diverse voices to speak as one.

Today, as we unite and rise against the anti-democratic actions of the current administration, we look to these peaceful protesters as teachers. It's in their spirit that we joined with partners last week to protest racial gerrymandering in front of the Supreme Court and to stand up against tyranny at the Capitol. It's in their footsteps that we'll continue to walk for the rest of our Unite and Rise 8.5 campaign.

Fight for Fair Maps

On October 25, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Louisiana v. Callais. The case carries massive implications for voting rights and democracy, as it involves two related but distinct concepts: racial vote dilution and racial gerrymandering. 

The League joined partners from the Legal Defense Fund (LDF), the Transformative Justice Coalition (TJC), and more to rally in front of the Supreme Court. Together, rally-goers showed that fair maps are very much on people's minds. We showed that when redistricting rears its head, diverse groups will come together to stand up for the rights of all voters. 

Speakers from the League, LDF, TJC, Black Voters Matter, the Leadership Conference, and more invigorated the crowd. Rallygoers sported a colorful array of T-shirts, waving signs with pictures of Fannie Lou Hamer and John Lewis, messages about people power, and more. Fittingly, several signs carried the call to "Unite and Rise" — a sentiment expressed both in words and in action.

You can watch the full rally here, with remarks from LWVUS CEO Celina Stewart, Esq. starting at roughly 39:30.

No Kings Day

Days later, the second round of No Kings Day protests took place nationwide. The League was proud to stand in allyship with hundreds of thousands of peaceful protesters to defend democracy.

From North Dakota (pictured above) to California (pictured below) and beyond, League members joined our partners to rally for the health of our nation. League leaders like CEO Celina Stewart and President Dianna Wynn spoke at events in Virginia and North Carolina. They shared our ongoing message about the importance of uniting and rising to defend democracy in the face of a constitutional crisis.

In all, more than 7 million people peacefully protested, making No Kings Day one of the largest demonstrations in US history.

What's Next?

There's a reason our current initiative is called Unite and Rise 8.5 — as the events above illustrate, we're stronger when we join forces. With that in mind, we anticipate allying with pro-democracy people and organizations on many more activations.

You can stay up to date on our activities by committing to Unite and Rise and receiving updates on new events and digital actions. But what else can you do?

1. Defend democracy locally by joining your state or local League.
2. Contact your representatives on important issues like voting rights and racial gerrymandering.
3. Attend a town hall or other civic event in your community.
4. Make sure you're ready for your next election at VOTE411.org.
5. Talk to three friends about what they're doing to stand up for democracy!

You don't need to be in an official organization to be a partner for democracy. It's up to all of us to work together to defend all of our rights.

See you at the next protest.