Velshi: A democracy is not a democracy if some people can’t vote
Civil disobedience, refusing to comply with certain unjust laws as a form of peaceful protest, can be a powerful catalyst for change. The history of civil disobedience in America is long, and it is alive today. Activists and lawmakers are willingly getting arrested to fight for voting rights. And the entire chamber of democratic state legislators in Texas have left the state to protest laws that would break our democracy in two. “If one of us is chained, none of us are free.” The chains are the restrictions on voting. Breaking them is democracy. America is not a democracy as long as some people can’t vote. And that is why people are willing to get arrested. It’s what John Lewis meant when he said, “get into good, NECESSARY trouble.” This is the moment to protest. Loudly. And demand action.