By Ashlynne (Martin Luther King Freedom Center student)

Representation is the basis of democracy.
A lack of representation forces the need for liberation.
Democracy is the basis of this country,
And representation is the basis of democracy,
Yet 250 years after …, 
A lack of representation fosters this country’s oppression.
Where do we go from here?
 
“Of the people, by the people, and for the people”, 
a statement that emphasized this country’s democracy.
But whom do those people represent and to what extent does that democracy extend?
100 years for emancipation. 144 years for the right to vote. 166 years to stop chattel
slavery. 
Justice was not achieved through time. It is achieved through the work of the people.
The work of the people that have fought for their representation, regardless of how time
had affected them. 
 
To deny someone their representation is to weaken democracy.
Just as to deny a flower water, sunlight, and the proper nutrients it needs to thrive, is to
weaken the plant. 
We as a people cannot thrive when our nutrients are stripped from us. When our
representation is stripped from us, we cannot grow. Democracy cannot grow. Our
democracy needs to be of ALL people, by ALL people, for ALL people. 
So that time doesn’t show how long people of color, of poverty, of minorities have
struggled. 
But it shows the work we have put in to make sure our future generations can prosper. 
So that we can ALL have representation.
So that we can preserve ALL people’s democracy.
That is where we go from here.