By Sapna Gupta
I attended the Good Trouble: Candlelight Vigil for Democracy event held on July 17th, the first anniversary of John Lewis' death. The event was held to honor John Lewis and to make people aware of how dire our voting rights are right now. About 30 states have passed laws that restrict voting, including Florida, and some have passed laws to nullify voting. This event helped raise awareness about the importance of passing the For the People Act, The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and D.C. Statehood.
The hour-and-a-half long event included speeches from local and national civil right lawyers and elected state congress members; a beautiful solo dance performance; and reading of the opinion piece by John Lewis in the New York Times, “Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation”. There was no registration, but the organizers gave out some literature on John Lewis and voting law changes, a T-shirt, LED candle (for the vigil), and hand sanitizer. There were also poster cards given out to attendees to take home.
It was a hot evening, but it was nice to be out with people who support voting. There needs to be additional outreach so more people can show up to these types of important events. Personally, I feel there needs to be more protesting on this issue of restrictive voting. This should be a major issue for all citizens regardless of party affiliation.