V127’s Thought Leaders Issue is available for pre-order now.

“I truly believe that participation is the right of all rights. You can’t fully participate in society if you don’t exercise your right to vote. I am voting because it is my civic responsibility to vote and to add my voice to the group of Americans who are fighting for equality in every representation of it. The first election I was eligible to participate in was in 1988. I had only recently moved to New York from California and hadn’t registered in time. [If you are voting for the first time] you need to make a plan in advance. Ask your school or employer well in advance for time off to vote. Make sure you are registered and have the correct address. Go early and do your research in advance. It can be a long wait in the best of times, so prepare to really wait now. You will feel proud to have voted no matter what the experience was like afterward.

“There is a total lack of accountability in the world right now. That’s very worrying to me most days and nights. Reproductive rights, maternal health, and health care generally are always areas I am following closely. Education is also another area that concerns me. I admire Stacey Abrams and the work she has done on voter suppression through Fair Fight. I only hope that we can ensure a fair election on November 3.

“I am a mother, so I have to be hopeful. My kids are my investment in the future. [Children] look to their parents and those around them to stand up for them, if not for ourselves. They are a constant reminder to use my voice and all that I have to create a world we want to live in. I came across this quote by David Rockefeller yesterday that I wrote down. ‘If necessity is the mother of invention, discontent is the father of progress.’ Even if we do get the outcome we hope for, the work will not end. We have to continue to fight for what we believe in.”

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