Raise a Ruckus: Eliminating Structural Barriers to Voting (Room 9204)
While civic engagement and Election Day participation by voters of color is critical to securing a just democracy, the Florida debacle of 2000 and Ohio in 2004 have shown us we must examine these systems well before Election Day. Voter protection encourages and supports regular, critical examination of new and institutionalized barriers to voting. Join this workshop for a discussion of voter protection strategies for 2008.
Moderator -Aurora Vasquez, Advancement Project
Adrienne Maree Brown, The Ruckus Society
Glenn Magpantay, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
Reverend Lennox Yearwood Jr., Hip Hop Caucus
Eddie Hailes, Advancement Project
Notes:
Some Recap:
Lennox encouraged activists, voters to keep faith in the system
Magpantay talked about barriers to Asian-American voting, such as language, race, appearing "foreign" and having "foreign" names.
--Poll worker scan make voting a hostile experience, while poll sites are moved out of communities of color
Brown identified some points:
--People of color should engage in direct action
--But sometimes direction has no bite; i.e. protests are boring,
--Activism has to go beyond documentation and report writing
--Activists need to be on the scene, so if voting is obstructed, there is immediate day-of response
Resources:
