The League of Women Voters Louisville joined organization chapters across the country in hosting a “Light for Our Democracy” rally in response to President Donald Trump’s address to Congress Tuesday night. ● More than 100 people attended the rally inside the Americana World Community Center gymnasium. The local chapter started organizing the rally last week after the national arm of the League of Women Voters decided to stage a national show of support for the principles of America’s democracy and a “counter narrative” to Trump’s address, said Sandra Renner, co-president of the League of Women Voters Louisville.

“A lot of people are feeling hopeless, feeling like ‘there isn’t anything I can do. This is just going on around me,’” said Roxanne Sturtevant, a chapter member who helped organize the rally. “There are things you can do, you can do something, you can join together and make a difference.”

Multiple speakers, including Perception Institute CEO Sadiqa Reynolds, Executive Director of the Americana World Community Center Emilie Dyer and state Rep. Nima Kulkarni, D-Louisville, all discussed the importance of wielding influence as a community member and constituent to encourage change.

Reynolds, whose think tank conducts research to achieve justice and equality in communities, said it’s important to remember that no one is immune from policy impacts. She encouraged people to think of themselves as part of a collective when considering what issues to stand up for.

“It’s me today, it’s you tomorrow,” Reynolds said.

“I don’t want us to be afraid, I want us to be prepared to fight.”

 

The event took place at the Americana World Community Center in the Southside neighborhood, a known hub in the city for resources supporting refugees and immigrants. In February, the organization called for donations after federal policy changes created “downstream effects” that plunged the center into a financial crisis.

The center announced that it could be forced to close in the next two months without “immediate support.”

Dyer, who leads the Americana Center, spoke about the Americana World Community Center as an example of high-level decisions creating tangible consequences in communities.

“Americana needs your help to sustain our programs, because what we do is essential to the community, for the security and the stability of all. We are counting on you guys. We are counting on our community to stand up and say something and do something,” Dyer said.

Rep. Kulkarni echoed the sentiment that in democracy, the power is distributed amongst the people, and that people can use their voice, vote and influence on others to strengthen communities and protect people who are vulnerable.

“The power of democracy is not held in Washington or in out state capitals like Frankfort. It is in our communities. It is in conversation,” Kulkarni said. “We are here because we are privileged enough to be here, and understanding the importance of that is something that will help us be able to stand in solidarity and support those and protect those who don’t enjoy those same privileges.”

The crowd remained calm and attentive during the rally. Between speakers, the crowd joined in song, following along as the lyrics were projected on to a screen.

 

One song, “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Round,” reminded attendee Verlina King of her childhood days working on an Alabama farm as the daughter of a sharecropper. She would sing the song with others on the farm, and hearing people sing as a way to bond over common concerns gave her hope.

“We would sing those songs, and the joy of feeling that, that I’m sitting here. Then, I was in the cotton field with all Black people. Tonight, I was sitting in a room with 95% other people white,” she said. “It was like, ‘I cannot believe this.’” Before the rally ended, attendees all raised their phone flashlights and sang one final song: “This Little Light of Mine.”

“At the end of the day, we are all in this together. It does not matter where we came from,” King said. “Only together can we make this happen.” kbaarlaer@gannett.com