Fight back against gerrymandering
To the editor:
I believe that gerrymandering is wrong. I participated in a major petition project to end gerrymandering in Michigan. The project ran from August 2017-December 2017 and signatures were submitted in 2018. This group effort gathered 425,000 signatures to place a constitutional amendment on the November 2018 ballot.
On November 6,2018 the amendment was placed on the ballot and passed by 61%of the vote ending gerrymandering in Michigan. Opposition loomed large, fear of backlash nestled in our ranks and debate flared up on social media. But standing with opposition strengthened our resolve. This is about “justice” we would remind each other.
This was not just a ballot. It was a declaration of our commitment to change history pressed upon us. We had a collective joy feeling like a buoyant wave crashing over us. A mandate for justice echoed in every corner of Michigan.
Now there is a chill, casting doubt that our right to vote is not guaranteed.
This realization coalesced a fire in me. I refuse to be silent. I pick up my pen and breathe life into the promise of democracy beginning to flow. I pen appeals to local leaders in Lee County to stand against any encroachment upon our rights. “Be vocal” stand up for justice, inequality and democracy. Justice is a journey not a destination. Together we must wove a new narrative of truth, equality where every voice counts and matters.
Bit by bit we are embarking on a relentless quest for a society that truly represents all citizens. We are agents of our transformation, fighting for ourselves, but for generations to come. Every letter, every call made, every rally attended breathes life into our democracy -a promise that no amount of voter suppression could extinguish.
The battle is not over: it is merely a stepping stone toward an endless horizon where every voice can rise up harmoniously, forever echoing what is right.
Kathleen Callard
North Fort Myers