As a lawyer, I am sickened by the Supreme Court’s decision to gut the Voting Rights Act. We are watching the highest court in the land pull the teeth out of our most vital democratic protections. This is a direct attack on the voting power of Black Americans, whom this law was written to protect. For those of us in the legal profession, this disgrace is hard to stomach.
As a local leader, I feel the weight of this. When the law is used as a weapon against the right to vote, our work in organizing and door-knocking can feel small compared to a Supreme Court ruling. But these local efforts are how we built our democracy, and they are exactly what we have left. If the court won’t protect the ballot box, that work has to happen in our own backyards.
My tools might feel small right now, but I’m going to use every one of them. We don’t have the luxury of staying quiet while our rights are dismantled. I’m disgusted, I’m angry and I’m ready to fight back. I hope my neighbors will join me.
Kate Garfinkel
Fox Chapel