‘A Choice’ by Kate Counts

Bernice A. King, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr' s daughter, shared this, and it pretty much nails how I feel about election season:

"‪Voting is not the only ingredient for social change, but it is a critical ingredient. ‬It is a right and a responsibility. ‬You matter. ‬Your vote matters. ‬Your voice matters. ‬Let’s utilize every space we have for bending the arc of the moral universe toward justice.‬”

And so here WE are — at a place in history in which we all have experienced the fragility of democracy on January 6th, and the consequence of elections with the overturning of Roe. History is currently showing us how much our vote matters.

This upcoming midterm election holds humanity at the frontline. I’m not talking about the “love and light,” “let’s all come together and agree to disagree” energy that some pursue as a false reality of existence.

The humanity that lies at the frontline is raw, real, and filled with radical honesty and deep rooted truth. It’s a seed.

This humanity can no longer wait for the fiscal conservative to realize their socially liberal views have always been compromised by the power of the pocket book. Humanity can’t wait for you to decide which one is more important because we are talking about people's lives — breathing, beautiful humans. This election is asking us to truly anchor into what matters: humanity or greed and control. The frontline holds that choice.

Ever since our country was born, when colonizers stumbled on this land and decided to claim it as their own, this seed of humanity has been intentionally layered with white supremacy, genocide, deceit, enslavement, greed, misogyny, homophobia, ableism, misinformation, manipulation, force, violence, and power.

These layers have been suffocating humanity and only allow breathing space to those closest to power and privilege. This space is in the process of narrowing — giving control/power to few, but affecting many.

The work of peeling these layered restraints has been generational and filled with a resilience that only hope can give. Our ancestors from past frontlines have passed on the history, knowledge, strategy, and their deep stories of commitment towards something bigger than us all: humanity, the beautiful planet where we reside, and an experiment called Democracy. What we do with this moral legacy is up to us. The frontline holds that choice.

We are currently feeling the peeling, the layers of oppression felt and revealed. Many in the country have never known anything different, and those with privilege are just waking up to the fact that no one is free, unless we are all free.

We feel the resistance through a political climate which TRIES to scare us from hard conversations, from using our voice, from telling our stories and showing up unapologetically anchored into what matters, personally and collectively. Yet, this is our responsibility. And democracy affords us the opportunity to utilize EVERY space to bend that moral arc of justice. The frontline holds that choice.

The process of uncovering will not happen instantly. It’s not a sprint or a marathon; it’s a relay, which requires each one of us to participate. It will be an ever-evolving movement towards working across difference, holding accountability, teaching an unfiltered history, and listening to the lived experiences of those most impacted by these deep layered truths. Voting is a critical ingredient of the uncovering. The frontline holds that choice.

As we approach November 8th… the ballot holds humanity. It holds climate action, reproductive rights, public education and unfiltered history, gun control, LBGTQ+ rights (so many said they would NEVER overturn Roe, yet here we are, and don't think for a minute they won't come after Obergefell and gay marriage), racial equity, and democracy. That last one is a big one. DEMOCRACY is on the ballot — the fabric that gives that moral arc a chance.

As much as I hope one day we can build a democracy which holds a bipartisan foundation that does not compromise humanity in the name of a "party,” unfortunately, WE are not there.

The party that holds the fight for humanity is NOT perfect and definitely needs to be held accountable; however, do not let perfection keep you from making that choice to vote. Perfection is an illusion. The moral arc is ever-expanding, and we learn as we grow. Not participating only crumbles the foundation that arc needs to stand on.

Every election has consequences. Many in this country have felt those consequences based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and lack of gun control. Those consequences are created by those who show up and vote, not by those who stay home and avoid the importance of collective care.

This election is no different, yet it feels different.

It feels like a string of hope, keeping that moral arc stable and moving us closer to that seed of humanity.

OR

It feels like another layer, which will pull us even farther away from the truth of humanity.

Here we stand, at the frontline with a choice: move forward and commit to uncovering what it means to be radically honest and human.

OR

Add another deep layer of oppression and smother the possibility of who we want to become.

What will you choose?

These choices were fought hard for: to vote, make our own reproductive choices, marry who we love, keep our children safe, protect our planet.

The choice has always been ours.

The question is: Will we allow it to be taken away or we fight like hell to be a part of something bigger — humanity.

Your vote matters!

Your voice matters!

And damn, WE NEED YOU.

PS: no matter what happens on Tuesday, we will not give our power away. We will not let the results break our soul. The frontline will always hold us together, inviting us to show up. The seed of humanity is strong and inside each one of us.

Now, get out there and use that choice!

— Kate