Voter suppression is no laughing matter and it shows how broken our democracy is that folks have to stand in line for hours to cast their vote for the next president of the United States. But, as people waited to rock the vote by casting their ballots early across the country, they made the best of waiting in line to vote. Some folks had pizza parties on the sidewalk while others took to choreographed dances to let off some steam. In Philadelphia, a group of mostly Black voters got their groove on to the iconic follow-along dance song the “Mississippi Slide.”
One of the joyful dancers sported a “f*** 2020” t-shirt. This year has been a complete disaster, and we’ve all learned to hold onto any glimpse of joy that we can. Dance has a way of bringing people together and lifting up our spirits. We couldn’t help but be entranced by the energy and dance along to the Philly voters are seen dancing in unison to the line dance in a clip that went viral on social media Sunday.
Many of the women voters seen dancing wore all-white outfits which may be a nod to the suffragist’s all-white dress code. The suffragists fought for the 19th Amendment which gave white American women the right to vote in 1920 but wasn’t an intersectional feminist movement to include women of color.
The dancing voters maintained a social distance and wore masks as they released their stress to the jam. Voting is something worth celebrating and these Philly folks know exactly how to lift their community’s spirits while standing in excessively long voting lines.
Joy is a form of resistance that absolutely should be flexed while participating in civic engagement. Let’s carry this mood all the way through to Election Day on November 3rd. No one can stop us from exercising our right to vote!