News & Commentary

I recently joined a delegation from the Women of Color Foundation for its first annual Leadership Symposium-Prison Outreach Initiative to participate in a daylong conference with about 250 incarcerated women at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville. In a large assembly-style room, we were greeted with a beautiful banner and mural that was painted by some resident artists. First on the agenda, I led an interactive session about the voting rights for people with criminal convictions. Pop Quiz on Voting My opening question to the women was, “How many of you have voted in the past?” The majority of the women raised their hands. When I asked if they could vote upon release from prison some were unsure. Before we discussed what Ohio law permits we talked through why voting is important. Elected officials decide what is criminal and what is not, how schools are be funded, whether or not counties will have diversion programs, whether people get probation or jail time, among other things.

The right to vote has been fought over since the very beginning of this county. Using qualifiers like property, sex, color, and now even ID, those with access to political power have found plenty of reasons to restrict the participation of those without it. Over the 228 years since the delegates to the Constitutional Convention put their signatures on the Constitution of the United States, “the people” of this country have been pushing back to be included in the promises of democracy. In 2004, the U.S. Congress declared each September 17 to be Constitution Day in commemoration of the document’s signing. On this day, all publicly funded schools are now required to feature educational programming about the Constitution. Now this date gives everyone a chance to reflect on this country’s founding promises, and look forward to coming elections for signs about its future. By the People Government “by the people” has always been an elusive ideal. When teachers talk with their classes about the Constitution, let’s hope that tales about freedom and more equitable governance are enriched by parallel stories of the struggle to become part of those ideals.