Air Force veteran James Harris was purged from the voter rolls just before a presidential election because he was determined to be dead.
One problem: He was alive.
Source: Houston Chronicle (image 1)
The health of our nation depends on fair and equitable suffrage. The patient is sick.
Since the 2013 Supreme Court decision in Shelby v. Holder, a wave of anti-voter activism has swept our country.
Onerous voter ID requirements.
Discriminatory polling location closures.
"Exact match" purges that strip the right to vote from people like James Harris.
The list goes on. And on.
Thankfully, amazing organizations are doing amazing work to fight back.
But they need help.
They need more people to join this fight.
They need more money to fund this fight.
And they need tools that offer hope that we will win this fight.
If You Can Keep It is a play about this crisis.
It draws inspiration from the many people leading the fight against a range of threats.
If You Can Keep It is designed to be easy to mount.
It works in a theater, or as we saw blossom during the first year of Covid-lockdown, via online video. And it can be performed solo or ensemble.
Source: NJPAC
If You Can Keep It is designed to help activists raise money.
We draw additional inspiration from the Vagina Monologues and the V-Day campaign which empowers women’s shelters, rape crisis centers and more to use it.
In its first 20 years, V-Day helped these groups raise more than $100 million.
Source: The Economist
Finally, If You Can Keep It is designed to offer voters hope.
It is understandable to slip into despair, to believe that nothing is going to change.
If You Can Keep It reminds us that power concedes nothing without a demand. It connects us to the millions of others who feel like we do. And it gives us a communal, tangible way to support those leading our demand for our most fundamental right.