INTRODUCTION CIVIL AND POLITICAL ACTIVISM A young girl asks her state’s governor to talk about voter preregistration for teenagers Three friends turn an Internet hashtag into a worldwide call for the humane treatment of African Americans A young man leads a massive pro-democracy protest in the streets of Hong Kong A US government computer contractor risks his life to expose government spying Concerned citizens might take action to protest unfair practices of governments and companies All these people are civil or political activists Regardless of their age or background each one of them took a stand Some had powerful tools to help them such as the computer contractor with access to top-secret information Others had little more than their own voices But they all made a difference because each noticed a problem and took action Whether the problems were related to voting rights equality working conditions or free speech and information these people became activists because they wanted to make a change in their world 4
Civil activists rally for the Black Lives Matter movement The group urges law enforcement officials to treat African Americans fairly You don’t have to look hard to find injustice Some employers exploit workers Those who live in poor or minority neighborhoods might not have the same access to voting as other citizens do In countless ways every day people and society discriminate against minorities women and lesbian gay bisexual transgender or questioning LGBTQ individuals The products we buy especially electronics may have been produced by people working in unsafe conditions for long hours and for little pay It’s enough to make you want to shut down your web browser hide your smartphone and bury your head in the sand Or you can decide to do something about an issue you care about You don’t have to be a computer genius or great public speaker You don’t have to be old enough to vote or get a job In fact you don’t even have to be able to read to be an activist You just need the desire to make a change and the commitment to follow through on an action 5
CHAPTER 1 Representative GOVERNMENT North Carolinians participate in a Moral Mondays protest in 2014 MADISON KIMREY SUPPORTER OF VOTING RIGHTS When twelve-year-old Madison Kimrey’s family took her to Jacksonville Florida in early 2013 it was for fun She was going to visit one of her closest friends She didn’t expect to get involved in politics But when Madison heard about a protest happening at a children’s museum she wanted to learn more The museum had discriminated against a same-sex couple saying that they had to pay extra for a family membership because according to the museum they weren’t really a family Madison joined the protest When her vacation ended and she returned home to Burlington North Carolina she thought about what she’d done It had felt good to stand up for something she cared about So she began to read political blogs and she started writing a blog of her own She wanted to find other causes to fight for 6
Something caught her eye right away North Carolina was considering passing a law that would take away the right of older teens to preregister to vote Supporters of the law said it was needed to cut down on voter fraud The office of the state governor Pat McCrory also said the preregistration program was confusing to teenagers and a bureaucratic burden Preregistration helps encourage young people to vote It increases voter turnout which means more people are represented in their government Madison went to the governor’s office and asked for a meeting with him She wanted to discuss voter preregistration for teens but the governor turned her down I realized then that they’re not taking me seriously Madison told a reporter That’s when I started my petition because I really wanted to sit down and listen to what Pat McCrory had to say Governor Pat McCrory speaks at an event in May 2013 Madison started a petition on MoveOn org that gathered more than thirteen thousand signatures The petition asked Governor McCrory to meet with her to talk about voting rights But the petition did not change the governor’s mind When he was asked about Madison he said that she was being coached by her parents on what to say He called her a prop for groups that opposed the new law After she heard that Madison went to a Moral Mondays event in Raleigh At Moral Mondays North Carolinians protest laws they 7
