00:00I'm Janae Nelson, President and Director Counsel of the Legal Defense Fund.
00:06We have been fighting to build a multiracial democracy brick by brick for the past 86 years since we were
00:15founded by Thurgood Marshall.
00:17Last October, I had the honor to represent black voters from Louisiana in the Supreme Court to present their vision
00:31for an inclusive democracy that delivers for everyone.
00:37But in that case, Louisiana v. Calais, that Supreme Court rejected that vision.
00:46They rejected that vision in favor of a vision that draws black voters out of districts,
00:54in favor of a vision that makes states that have some of the highest populations of black people
01:02have little to no representation in the halls of power.
01:07They adopted a vision that silences black voices and suppresses black votes.
01:15But you know what?
01:17We're here today because we have a whole different vision.
01:22And that vision is as clear as the vision that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. presented 63 years ago
01:31when he told us about his dream.
01:33Our vision will be real.
01:37Our vision is a democracy where we have full and fair access to the ballot,
01:45where we have economic freedom, where we have safe food and good health care and access to real jobs.
01:54Our vision is for a democracy where power is shared, dignity is sacred, and thriving is the standard for everyone.
02:06Let me tell you how we're going to make that vision real.
02:09Because I want to break it down because every one of us, everyone within earshot, has a job to do.
02:16We need to get real.
02:19R. Register to vote.
02:23But don't just get registered.
02:24Don't just check your registration.
02:26By September 15th on National Voter Registration Day,
02:30you need to make sure 10 other unregistered people are registered and prepared to vote.
02:38E. Engage in your elections.
02:40Go to PollWorker.org and become a poll worker for this election.
02:47Go to LDF.Vote and sign up to be a poll monitor.
02:52We have to engage in our elections.
02:55Democracy is not a state.
02:58As John R. Lewis said, democracy is an act.
03:03A. Agitate.
03:05Agitate.
03:05Go to your city council meeting, your school board meeting, your budget meetings,
03:10and make your peaceful presence heard.
03:13We have to show up and show out if we want to save this democracy.
03:18And finally, the last part of making our vision real is to leave no power on the table.
03:28We're not just going to vote in the upcoming midterms.
03:30We are going to vote year-round.
03:32We are going to make sure that we get our votes out.
03:37Thurgood Marshall said that this is our democracy.
03:44Make it.
03:45Protect it.
03:46Pass it on.
