And as usual, I cried. Not a tears-falling-down-my-face cry (though that's happened, too) but a eyes-swell-up-and-almost-spill-out cry.
It happens every time I vote. Doesn't matter if it is a primary election, an off season election, or a presidential election. I cry.
It's my mother's fault. She believed in voting with a fierce passion. She called it the bedrock of our democracy and instilled in we children that voting was not a choice, but a right.
She taught us that our right to vote was hard won and was never to be taken for granted. She reminded us that not everyone has the chance to have a say through the power of casting a vote, and therefore it is a right we must never squander.
And then she led by example, voting in each and every election.
So I vote. In every election. Just like my mom.
And then I cry.
So, so true, Ann.
ReplyDelete(And your blog gave me tears, too.)
Awwww. Thanks, Jaime. A couple of people have told me that. I'm glad to know I'm not alone. :-)
ReplyDeleteYes! My mom took me with her each and every time she voted. Being an African American woman who was around during the Civil Rights movement, she knew first hand the importance of exercising this long fought for privilege. I know that I have to vote every time, no matter what, because voting rights for Black people are NOT part of the constitution
ReplyDeleteSo true! Thanks for sharing your story.
ReplyDeleteI believe that when the constitution was first written the only people who could vote were white men who owned land. So for the vast majority of people in this country, voting is indeed a fought for right and privilege!