My Eight-Year-Old's First Protest Rally

My daughter was born in Washington, D.C., but she had not yet learned that its citizens are disenfranchised. Considering the fact that she was eight years old, this was understandable. Many older and wiser people were unfamiliar with our dilemma of 600,000 people without a voice or a vote in Congress. President Obama was well aware of the situation, but had not been moved to act on his new hometown's behalf during his administration thus far. On Saturday, June 25, DC Vote (www.dcvote.org) sponsored the White House Rally for DC Democracy. Activists from around the country come to the White House to draw attention to their cause. On this day, D.C. finally took theirs to the famous iron gates.

With school now out for the summer, I was looking for educational and interesting ways to engage my daughter. As a native New Yorker, I was a frequent protest observer and participant. The White House rally advertised itself as family-friendly, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to awaken Eliza's social consciousness.

The morning of the protest rally, we gathered with our neighbors, members of the Ward 8 Democrats (http://www.dcdsc.org/ward8.htm ) and the Anacostia Coordinating Council on yellow school buses for the ride down to the White House. Eliza was thrilled to get her "No Taxation Without Representation" t-shirt and her DC Vote goodie bag of snacks and juice boxes.

The "swag" made Eliza feel comfortable and happy, so she was excited and enthusiastic as we reached the rally. Once there she made her own protest signs and even applied a DC Vote temporary tattoo to her face. She enjoyed these activities immensely but her other experiences were more valuable. She heard important, passionate speakers, including our own Mayor, Vincent Gray, and Congressional Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton. She listened to inspiring spoken word and fight songs written in D.C.'s classic go-go style about our unique cause. She witnessed the "DC Dozen" get arrested for their civil disobedience.

I knew that exposing Eliza to the protest and having her understand the purpose were two different things. While she may still have a great deal to learn about democracy, the Constitution and voting rights, she came away Saturday afternoon with some basic knowledge. She learned that our goal was statehood and that while we met the Constitutional requirements, it was being denied to us. We were there to ask President Obama to protect us from having to meet the obligations of statehood without enjoying any of the benefits. It was clear to her how unfair it was to have to get Congress' permission to spend our own tax money while their budget went unbalanced.

I could not have been prouder to hear her shout, "What do we want? Democracy NOT hypocrisy!" Eliza will be 18 in ten years. Will we have voting rights by then? If she is ever going to be able to represent her birthplace in Congress one day, we all need to fight for her seat now.