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‘Democracy Class’ Category

This Wednesday I went to help teach a Democracy Class in Philadelphia with David, another Duke intern. We went to the Community College of Philadelphia, which administers an Upward Bound program. This federal program aims to increase college attendance rates by providing support to high school students during the summer months.

When we arrived, we initially thought we were just going to help Colin (the Pennsylvania state coordinator) and observe him teaching the class. Instead, he gave David and me the opportunity to run the lesson all on our own! Although I was excited, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Am I prepared? Will I engage their attention? Will I be able to present well and get the message across?

We arrived early to prepare the PowerPoint and run through the lesson. Once we were all set up, the class arrived with their teacher. After she introduced us, I started, “I’d like to know if anyone has heard of Rock the Vote before?” Some were shaking their heads, but one person blurted out, “Did you guys work with MTV?” I smiled and said, “We have worked with music artists!” I explained RTV’s mission, how it grew out of the “Censorship is UnAmerican” Campaign, and mentioned people that the organization has worked with.

Then, David talked about the history of voting rights. One of the slides in the presentation shows an Iraqi woman with a purple finger, indicating that she has already voted. We explained that even though Iraq and Afghanistan have the right to vote, there have been reports of people getting their hands chopped off for having this purple mark. A student in the class asked, “Why would anyone vote and get their finger purple if they knew that they could get it cut off?”

I explained to her that in the past Iraqis and Afghanis had been deprived of voting power and now take pride in this new right. So for them, the right to vote outweighs the risk of getting their hand chopped off.  I told her, “It just goes to show the importance of voting and the lengths people take in order to have their voices heard.” Although surprised, she nodded and understood the message we wanted to get across.

For the rest of the lesson the students listened to political music, talked about issues that mattered to them, and participated in a mock election. By the end, they walked away with a new perspective on political participation. Voting is sometimes taken for granted, but Democracy Class helps us show its importance and can inspire students to make sure their voices are heard.

If you want to learn more about Democracy Class, please visit the Democracy Class website here.

-Catalina Hidalgo

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