Vote!  Speak Out! Stand Up!

I want to take a break today from election saga, from Clinton v. Obama and all that drama that goes with it (and there’s plenty of drama!) What’s particularly on my mind today is social activism. It’s a rare thing to find people who are true social activists; rarer still to find a business or organization who encourages its employees and patrons to be activists. Just think of how many people don’t even bother to vote, let alone DO something to encourage change.

Last night I went to the Miltown Kings show at the Miraramar. It was revue type night, with drag kings and king troupes from around the country, and the night as a whole was a good time. But there were two stand-out moments during the night, from a political perspective. The first was the evening’s “host” Jack-be-nimble encouraging the audience to vote. Jack didn’t campaign for a candidate, a party, or even a cause. Vote for “Dr. Seuss,” Jack said, but just vote. The crowd roared. I loved this moment because the encouragement was for electoral participation, not for partisan politics, and since the LGBT crowd is so affected by decisions made by candidates in office, it’s all the more important that we vote.

The second moment was at the end of the Miltown Kings final act. They did their own rendition of 9-5, sexual harassment and all, and wrapped up with huge poster-boards saying things like, “Unionize,” “Equal Pay for Equal Work,” and “Livable Wages” and “Universal Health Care.” The crowd got to its feet to cheer. These are the things we care about, not just as LGBT’s but as citizens, as the youth and the poor and the middle class. We care. I was so impressed with the enthusiasm of the crowd, with the level of social consciousness in that room. Are LGBT’s more prone to awareness and activism because they’ve so long been treated shabbily? Is poor treatment and/or oppression the thing that’s required to get people to care? It’s a terrible thing if that’s true. We all need to care. We all need to stand up for those things we do care about. We need to vote, to protest, to demand, to fight, to argue, to be passionate about something besides ourselves.

As I was talking to a friend today (the Slightly Crunchy Parent, actually) about social activism, she mentioned something really awesome that happens at Alverno. The college gives all their employees three hours of paid time off on election so they can vote. How great is that for the university to recognize the importance of the right to vote; how awesome that they encourage their employees to do their civic duty. More businesses need to do the same. The right to vote, as Jack-be-nimble pointed out last night, is a right that not everyone shares, and, so, we have the obligation to exercise it.

Michelle Tucker is a political junkie, in a world full of them. She moved to Milwaukee from the south, and is still often surprised that it's OK to be a Democrat here; she's also quite in love with Russ Feingold (and Al Harris). Besides her political addiction, Michelle is a full-time student pursuing her Masters in Political Science, and is currently researching the influence of religion on American politics.