One Nation

"Jobs, Justice, and Education” was the theme of the October 2, 2010, One Nation Rally in Washington D.C that I was privileged to attend with the International United Auto Workers (UAW).  On this journey, I was accompanied by Kelli Harrison from Local 2488 Mitsubishi Motors, she is a trustee for her local and most importantly my mother. The trip began from Lincolnshire, IL at the UAW Region 4 Headquarters. Two charter buses were the means for our transportation and both were full with strong union workers who are willing to stand up for their beliefs. November 2, 2008 was an election of “Yes we can,” and it is time to see more of what our government can do for this nation like “Jobs, Justice, and Education.”

Upon our arrival in DC, we were greeted by 200, 000 people in the National Mall in front of one of Illinois most famous figures, Abraham Lincoln. As you walked through the crowd, everyone was dressed to represent their union or organization. There is strength in numbers, and the sight was powerful. Seeing so many hard working Americans who traveled thousands of miles with a simple message of “One Nation- Jobs, Justice, and Education.” This served as a reminder to those in Washington DC that their constituents are watching them and what they are doing. It is time to put policies in place that improve the economy through good union jobs that will create equality. I have faith that the unions and their activists will be able to help ensure a strong November 2^nd victory for Democrats despite the talking heads who claim November will be a blood bath for Democrats.  The people I was standing next to are too strong to be underestimated by those who don’t realize how willing they are to fight for what they believe in.

 One of the most memorable quotes that left an impression on me was in regards to education. “We are spending three times the amount of money on prisoners in this country compared to students.” This struck me hard because education should be of vital importance to this nation and be well-funded to ensure students have a chance to achieve their dreams, but it is not.  The system is broken on education and it is time to fix that problem. Another benefit is that with a better education system we will create good union jobs for teachers as well as having a more intelligent nation of people.

We are an interdependent society that needs to remember when our middle class is strong that means unions are strong and most importantly our economy is strong. I was reminded on how unions and democrats need to work together to ensure a country that benefits the entire society not just the top one percent.

This is where all youth voters come into play. We have to mobilize and bring out our numbers for Democrats on November 2^nd. It is vital we prove that we pay attention to ALL elections not just the election in 2008 because focusing on the past will not ensure a better tomorrow. It is necessary to get your friends, neighbors, roommates, and strangers on the street to register to vote and to follow through by casting their ballot.  These are simple measures that we all can take that will create a strong democracy and give us the chance to believe that America will be One Nation again.

Shana Harrison

Political Director