Thinking About Democracy

It was the Sunday morning before the 2003 election when I saw the familiar face. I hadn't seen Ana for nearly 16 years. She had come into my life in Tucson ever so briefly, yet impacting me forever. A young Guatemalan woman whose work with the poor and marginalized in her homeland had made her a target of Guatemalan death squads, she fled to el norte in search of sanctuary and safe haven. She arrived in Tucson with her husband who had been imprisoned and brutally tortured by the Guatemalan military. After a brief stay in Tucson , the couple and their baby traveled across the country to a home provided by a church congregation- one of more than 250 such congregations involved in the Sanctuary Movement of the 1980s. It was Ana and Federico who told me how, despite the cruel violence, the severe pain of torture, and the loss of friends and family they suffered at the hands of their government, they still held a place of forgiveness within their hearts for the torturers and violators. They still had not lost hope for the future of their homeland.

When I saw Ana's pensive face staring across the page of the New York Times that Sunday morning16 years later, I had thoughts of the pending U.S. election before me. Her journey had taken her back to refugee camps in southern Mexico to work with Guatemalans who had fled the war. Now, according to the Times article, Ana was a candidate running for Congress in Guatemala ! And, she was reflecting upon what she had learned while living in the U.S. “To get to the United States was to breathe, to have hope,” she said. “There I learned the responsibilities of civilians, that it was not enough to just go vote every four years. I learned that you have rights, to study, to have a roof. To feel protected. I also learned to value what I had in Guatemala .”

Ana reminded me last year of what I often take for granted: the right to vote and the power of democracy. As I began thinking about voting and the pending elections this November, the Census Bureau announced the latest economic news.

“The number of Americans living in poverty increased by 1.3 million last year to total 35.8 million people living below the poverty line. The number of people who lack health insurance is 45 million, an increase in 1.4 million from 2002. 12.9 million children, 17.6 per cent of all children under 18 years of age, were living in poverty last year, an increase of about 800,000 from 2002.”

I started wondering about those people who are the statistics, many of them program participants like those we meet each day at Primavera. Are they registered to vote? Do they plan on voting? What do they think are democratic solutions to the problems of homelessness, poverty, unemployment, low wages, inadequate housing and health care which they experience in their every day lives?

So we asked some of the participants in our transitional and affordable housing programs about voting, democracy, and critical issues for them.

“Democracy means I have a choice to do or not do and not complain.”

“Democracy is freedom to pursue personal happiness without persecution.”

“Democracy is an illusion. Money begets power. Power begets money.”

“Democracy is freedom to change who we are. We have to make the choice to change.”

“Every vote makes a big difference…especially considering the last election.

"Health care! Jobs! Education! Freedom of speech!”

“We're spending billions on a war and we can't feed our kids.”

“The critical issues for me are the use of taxes, the environment, and limits on my personal freedom. I don't hear the candidates discussing these issues right now.”

“Truly affordable housing…to be able to purchase and own a home.”

“Increase domestic spending.”

“Stop trying to be the police department of the world.”

“I'm a vet. I served 20 years in the military. I have been homeless. I was an addict for more than three years. I have watched my friends die from cancer, Hepatitis C, AIDS, and drug overdoses. I have learned that I need a job where I can make a difference, where others are relying on me. My mother taught me that my participation makes a difference. Her brother, my eldest uncle, was the first person in our family to vote. I learned that I have a responsibility, an obligation to vote. My ancestors died for my right to vote. It would be a slap in the face if I didn't vote.”

We were encouraged by the thoughtfulness of Primavera program participants who are taking their right to vote seriously. As one person said: “It is my privilege to make a difference.”

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world” - Mahatma Gandhi