On Sunday, September 22^nd 2024, the Hamburg and Northern Germany chapter led the event "Defend Democracy!" at the Rathausmarkt in Hamburg. On an unusually sunny day, a series of speakers addressed topics such as: what democracy means, what makes a healthy democracy a reality, and what is the nature of the present threat to democracy. Excerpts from their speeches are shared below.

Many thanks to Olivier Njeck for photographs of our event.

Welcome

Geoff Simmons, chapter chair

We’ve come here today because we believe that, in light of the upcoming election, democracy itself is under threat in the United States as never before in our lifetimes.

We are willing to disagree about many things in our politics, including disagreements about issues that we feel passionately about. When we disagree, we have elections, we vote, and those who win the majority of votes earn the right to decide how we go forward. But that process, democracy itself, is not negotiable. We are not willing to disagree about whether that foundation survives. We see a clear and present threat to dismantle that foundation, and today we must speak up in its defense.

This week is Constitution Week in the United States, when we commemorate the foundation of a democracy nearly 240 years ago. We want to make it last, now and hundreds of years into the future.

We do not claim that we have fulfilled the ideal of democracy throughout that history. We’ve fallen short of the ideal many times. When the constitution was ratified, slavery still existed in the United States. Slavery persisted for over 75 years, and it took a Civil War to end it. To this day, we still struggle to undo that terrible injustice.

Marriage equality was assured only less than ten years ago. And for fifty years, American women were assured the right to make their own choices about their futures and their bodies, until that right was taken away two years ago.

But we most always strive to do better, not turn away. To paraphrase Martin Luther King, we must bend the arc of history towards a better democracy, not fall back to authoritarianism and repression.

We are not going back.

Voting Rights

Ann Wertheimer, chair of American Voices Abroad

Democracy, we think, is something you do. You do it as an individual and you do it as part of a community.

Doing democracy starts with voting. Free and fair elections are the basis of democracy. Voting is how you do democracy as an individual, but significantly as one individual among many. Voting is a political act that we carry out with all of our fellow citizens.

Democracy may be exhausting, messy, confusing, and fragile, but it is truly our best hope. And we might take heart from legal scholar Jedediah Purdy, who writes: “Although no formula can make a polity democratic, there is one that goes a long way toward doing so: the principle that everybody votes.” (from Two Cheers for Politics: Why Democracy Is Flawed, Frightening — and Our Best Hope)
Last November, in addressing his “beautiful Christians,” Donald Trump asked for their vote this one time so that they wouldnever have to vote again! Das muß ich auf deutsch wiederholen, sonst denken Sie, sie hätten sich verhört: November letzten Jahres bat Donald Trump in einer Ansprache an seine „wunderschönen Christen“ um ihre Stimme, damit sie nie wieder wählen müssen!

In the up-coming election, what’s at stake has never been more clear. It is the understanding that our government must work for all of us, that we are equal under the law, and that the rule of law, rather than the whims of one person or small group, must prevail.

Trump said he did not want to be a dictator “except on Day One.”

Trump sagte, er wolle kein Diktator sein, außer am ersten Tag.

We have learned that when wannabe dictators tell us what they intend to do, we should believe them.

Wenn Möchtegern-Diktatoren uns sagen, was sie tun wollen, sollten wir ihnen glauben.

Project 2025

Linda Weide, chapter member in Bremen

Project 2025 is a 920 page blueprint for an anti-democratic government developed by the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation for the next conservative president, such as Donald Trump or perhaps JD Vance. It is also being currently implemented in part by Red State Governors and the US Supreme Court.

One of the goals of Project 2025 is to fire a huge number of non-partisan civil servants, possibly as many as 50,000 and replace them with party loyalists, another is to get rid of many supports for the poor in the US and abroad, and another is to turn the USA into a Christian Nationalist Theocracy. According to Andra Watkins, an expert on Christian Nationalism, Christian Nationalists operate with several core beliefs:

1. America was founded as a white Christian nation.

2. The Bible is the inerrant, infallible word of God.

3. Whenever a human law conflicts with God’s perfect law, it is a Christian Nationalist’s job to overrule the human law, such as the Constitution, and replace it with God’s law.

4. Many believe God cursed Black and Brown people in the story of Noah, aligning followers with white supremacists and justifying their racism.

Project 2025 would dismantle the Department of Education. At most the department should be a “statistics-gathering agency that disseminates information to the states”. Regular education would be covered under the Department of Labor and Special Education would be covered under the Department of Health and Human Services. Ironically they also want to get rid of Health and Human Services and turn it into the Department of Life, so who will serve those students?

Attacks on diversity programs, such as in hiring, learning, and awarding contracts and specifically the rights of LGBTQ+ people are woven throughout Project 2025. Nearly all agency-specific chapters mention that any efforts to promote diversity or recognize the existence of LGBTQ+ people should be ended. There are even areas where they advocate punishing people such as teachers, for engaging in accepted practices around gender affirming care.

Immigrants are targeted throughout Project 2025. There will be significant crack downs on immigration, legal and undocumented. That includes mass deportations, unaccompanied minors and raids at worksites. It would allow immigration officers to carry out “civil arrest, detention, and removal of immigration violators anywhere in the United States, without warrant where appropriate”.

Changes will have draconian effects in all areas of government. The education for young Americans will deteriorate. Diversity will be suppressed. Harsh immigration policies will lead to huge labor shortages and economic downturn and humanitarian violations, and we will weaken or lose our international alliances.

Your vote in this election is so important. It is said it will come down to who can get the vote out. I would like to thank all the new voters. Your vote matters.

The Environment and Sciences

Jodi Szarko, chapter treasurer and Bremen precinct captain

As we think about the Constitution, I want to focus on six of the most famous words in its preamble: “to form a more perfect union." You see, our Founding Fathers knew that forming a perfect union from the beginning was impossible. The US is at its best, in my opinion, when we have pinpointed a problem and found reasonable solutions to get towards that “more perfect union.”

There are many ways to fix democracy. What I want to talk about today are “win-win” solutions, which are my favorite things in the world. Let’s talk about one win-win situation in politics: we can improve the economy and the help fix the climate crisis at the same time.

For too long, many people have argued that we either need to fix the economy or the environment, and it is simply not true. Others say that climate change is not a problem. Linda just told us about Project 2025, and I think she did a pretty good job showing how the entire mandate is full of myopic "lose lose" ideas, and the mantra of climate change denial is expressed MULTIPLE times in this blueprint to fascism. In short the Heritage Foundation, and ultimately the Trump Administration, if elected, would do things like “end the focus of climate change” in our government.

But both the data and anecdotal evidence shows that more and more people have been subject to natural catastrophes. Let me ask you, by a show of hands, who either knows someone or they themselves who has had to fix their house or leave an area because of a natural disaster, in the US or elsewhere? Those of us with our hand up know first or second hand that we need to be more aggressive in tackling the environment. Fortunately, more and more people are starting to see investments in a more sustainable future as a win-win situation. Although we have made progress in initiating plans to help slow down the climate crisis AND help the economy, we are not done. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris get how closely related these two issues are. The Inflation Reduction Act has been called “the largest piece of federal legislation ever to address climate change.” It is full of win-win solutions!

Regarding the environment, Jane Fonda has said, “in order to solve this existential crisis, we need a strong democracy.” She’s right. So let’s do all we can to fix and strengthen our democracy. Let’s look for win-win solutions to problems that will help us all. And we can look for those win-win solutions in other parts of our society. We don’t have to choose between sensible gun control or police reform, education or labor, small business or health care access. Speaking of environmental and health care issues, I would like to take a moment to thank the scientists who have studied these issues in great detail so we have the information to find the best solutions to these topics and more. With their help, we can fix many of the world’s problems simultaneously, and we can do it lifting up people of ALL genders, races, sexual orientations, and nationalities. But in order to do that, first we need to vote!

Building the Skills of Democracy from the Ground-Up

Experiences of a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer

Allison C. Young, chapter member in Hamburg

On October 14, 1960 Senator John F Kennedy gave an impromptu speech to a group of Michigan university students about whether or not they would be willing to contribute their skills to their country, to contribute to showing the world whether or not “a free society could compete”.

Less than two months after he was sworn in as President and challenged the American people ”Not to ask what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”, on March 1, of 1961, John F. Kennedy signed an executive order establishing the United States Peace Corps, an international service organization dedicated to promoting the power of human connection – dedicated to building the foundations of peace.

In 1966 my father answered JFK’s call and was sent to serve in Hyderabad, India as a United States Peace Corps volunteer – in 1967 my mother joined him. One of my favorite stories my mother always told was about her house girl, Calliope, who helped my parents with the daily  chores of life before such luxuries as washing machines, refrigerators and gas stoves were  wildly available. One day my mother cut her finger and came looking for a bandage. “Ayee”  screamed Calliope her house girl, “Your blood is red!”. Confused my mother replied “What color did you think it would be?”. “Pink, of course, because of your pale skin.”

And this is the first pillar of peace and democracy – teaching people to recognize our universal humanity, our fundamental “sameness”. After all, not only do we all bleed but we all bleed in the same color. Recognizing this, this “sameness’ is the first step towards recognizing the rights of others. It is the first step to recognizing that although we may speak different languages, have different histories or have different needs – our individual experiences are all born from the same fundamental human experience. We are all human, we are all the same and we are all entitled to the same basic human rights.

In 2002, my husband and I, also answered the call to serve our country and went to West Africa to serve for two years. We started our service in the small town of Nielle, Ivory Coast – just south of the border with Mali, a country partially covered by the Sahara desert. At the school where we lived and worked in Ghana beautiful dormitories had been built inthe 1970’s. The dormitories had electricity and running water due to a large well established on campus. Although this modern infrastructure was planned and built it didn’t meet the needs of the students. Many of the children who came to study lived in rural communities and had never used flush toilets but simple pit latrines. They didn’t know how to use a flush system. Many didn’t have the extra funds for buying expensive paper designed for flush toilets. The result was that the toilets sat unused or broken or clogged. Leaving no sanitary solution for an everyday need.

There is a deep lesson in this story. You can’t simply build a simply without teaching the people to use it. You can’t simply build a system without thinking about if all the other necessary pieces for it to continue to thrive. You can’t declare a country a democracy and expect it to thrive without teaching people the skills of democracy. You can’t simply declare peace and expect it to remain if all people have ever known is war.

When we came to the school, we helped build simple composting latrines. The students knew how to use and maintain these systems and it made a lasting impact on the health of the community. It was a long overdue solution to a sad and unnecessary problem. We must participate, we must not only talk but listen. We must not only silently accept or fates but we must rise up, work together and compromise to find the best solutions for the entirety of our group.

This idea of recognizing the voices of the many is the messiest, ugliest most difficult part of democracy and the most essential part of creating a lasting peace for ourselves. Not only must we respect the basic humanity and rights of each other, not only must we expect that the system of government will treat us fairly an equitably as individuals but we must actively engage in these discussions. We must be involved, we must pay attention, we must educate ourselves and vote. We are the cogs in the machine – if we fail the entire system fails.

President Kennedy, Robert Sargent Shriver and the thousands of United States Peace Corps volunteers who have serve, and continue to serve, around the world recognize the need not just for governments to support democracy but for us as individuals to teach each other these skills:

• to teach us to recognize and respect the basic rights of each individual human,
• to expect and demand a fair system for sharing and protecting our resources and
• to engage with each other to work together to make the world a better place.

These things are all integral pieces of a healthy and functioning democracy and they build the foundation not only for peace within our communities but around the world.

I would like to thank all of the community development volunteers – helping people find their voice, create solutions and use democratic skills to work together towards a better tomorrow.

What Democracy Means To Me

Pamela Cory, chapter member in Hamburg

What does democracy mean to me – to me personally? To me, democracy means “Opportunity” and “Empowerment”. Empowerment to lead and enjoy my own life – but it also gives me enormous responsibility and urgency, because it demands that I be an informed voter who can make decisions to preserve our democracy. "Democracy is never a done thing. Democracy is always something that a nation must be doing.“ It is an ongoing struggle for a more perfect union.

Most of us have grown up in a democratic society, where we feel this opportunity and empowerment. We have never experienced any other form of government. Unfortunately, this makes it far too easy for us to take our democracy and its freedoms for granted.

Democracy to me is a moral compass. It is an equalizer, meaning that no person, independent of race, cultural background or gender, is above the law and that every vote matters. Democracy demands that we respect others, be concerned and care about each other, work together, build consensus and protect each other, and protect the environment. That unifies us as a country. Democracy means solidarity.

Something good has come out of Project 2025. It has made me so keenly aware of the freedoms and joys I experience every day just because I live in a democracy. Every day, I literally sense democracy and its freedoms:

• In the morning when I wake up and am able to breath in fresh, clean air, I feel joy!

• I feel joy for the 35 years I was able to spend working with blind and low vision people, expanding their competencies and rights.

• I feel secure living here and celebrate my freedom from gun violence.

• And when I’m not feeling well, I am extremely grateful that I have health insurance to cover my medical costs.

• I am so grateful that I, alone, can decide what happens to my own body.

• It gives me joy to have had the freedom to choose the person I love.

• I am grateful, that my partner and I could decide - on our own - how to raise our own children.

• I feel joy and curiosity in observing and appreciating the diversity surrounding me.

• I am grateful for the freedom to read the books I want and to stay informed.

• I feel joy in celebrating the freedom of speech, which allows me to communicate with others and….

• I feel joy in being able to pray and worship my God.

Yes, democracy means Opportunity and Empowerment, but it also demands Responsibility. Democracy can fail, if we do not accept this responsibility. That is why I want to give all those who are defending our democracy my heartfelt thanks!

We are not going back! We are striving to define the future! That is exactly why we will vote and why we will continue to encourage others to vote!

What Democracy Means To Me

Elaine Thomas, chapter member in Hamburg

It is an honor to stand before you today as a Native African American woman, as an activist, and a proud member of this vibrant community in Hamburg. I am here not only as an individual with a deep commitment to justice, equality, and progress, but as part of a movement that seeks to ensure that the voices of Americans abroad are heard and the values we cherish are protected.

We are at a pivotal moment in our nation’s history. The fight for racial justice, gender equality, and human rights is far from over. From the Civil Rights Movement to the Black Lives Matter, to #MeToo, we have witnessed powerful movements that demand systemic change and accountability.

As a Black woman and proud mother, the legacy of racism is something I live with every day, but it is also something I fight against every day, with a passion.

The Black Lives Matter movement has shown us how far we have still to go, but it has also shown us the power of our collective voice. We are demanding that police brutality end, that our communities no longer live in fear, and that true justice finally be served. This is not a moment—it is a movement, and we will not rest until Black lives truly matter in America, and across the world.

The #MeToo movement, too, has revealed the widespread prevalence of sexual harassment and assault. It has empowered women, like me, to speak out against those who abuse their power. Our fight against gender violence is a fight for dignity, for equality, and for the right to exist in spaces free of harassment. We are demanding that our stories are heard that the trauma many of us have lived through is acknowledged, and that no one is above the law.

As a Black woman living abroad, I understand the struggles that immigrants and refugees face, both in the U.S. and here in Europe. I stand with them, because being pro-immigrant means being pro-humanity. Immigration is not a problem to be solved—it is a fundamental part of who we are as a nation. America is, and has always been, a nation of immigrants, built on the promise that anyone, no matter where they come from, or what religion they practice, can find freedom and opportunity on our shores. We must defend the rights of immigrants, whether they are fleeing war, persecution, or seeking a better life for their families. No human being is illegal, and the diversity of our nation is its strength.

Equally important is the battle for reproductive rights. As we face continued attacks on women’s autonomy, I want to make one thing clear: abortion is healthcare. The right to choose is fundamental to our freedom as women, and we will not allow our bodies to become battlegrounds for political agendas.

We must stand up for women everywhere, because reproductive rights are human rights.

We must look forward to a future led by capable, compassionate leaders like Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. They both represent the best of America—strong, resilient, intelligent, and committed to justice. As the first Black and South Asian woman Vice President Kamala Harris, has shattered glass ceilings and paved the way for future generations of women and people of color. Her leadership, alongside President Biden, has already brought us closer to building the inclusive, progressive future we deserve.

A future where we uplift the marginalized, protect our planet, and ensure that every American—no matter who they are—has a chance to succeed.

But none of this will happen unless we act. Our democracy depends on our participation, and it starts with voting. Which is why I am fervently urging every single one of you here, and every American abroad, to make your voice heard. Vote like your life depends on it—because for so many, it truly does.

I know that the road ahead is difficult. But I also know that together, we are stronger than any force that tries to divide us. Together, we can overcome the challenges of racism, sexism, and inequality. Together, we can defeat hate, oppression, and fear. And together, we can create a future that reflects our values—one of justice, freedom, and opportunity for all.

So let us leave this rally with a renewed sense of purpose. Let us go out and inspire others to vote, to speak out, and to fight for what is right. We need to use our voices & our votes, if we want change. I believe with Harris & Walz, at least we have a fighting chance. The future is in our hands, and we should not rest until we have built the America that we know is possible.

Farewell

Geoff Simmons

Thanks to the women who spoke to us today. Did you notice that it was all women?

And that goes for more than just today. If you’ve paid attention to who the voters have been in our recent elections, and what they have stood for, you’ll know what I mean when I say: thank you to the woman voters of the United States for defending our democracy and saving our necks, time and time again.

Ich möchte unsere Nachbaren und Freunde hier in Hamburg und Deutschland für Eure Unterstützung bedanken. Ich kann Euch sagen, das spüren wir, das motiviert, und auch für Euch wollen wir in November gewinnen. Denn wir wollen ein besseres Land für alle auf dieser Welt werden. Wir wollen nicht noch mal so schwer enttäuschen.

I would like to thank President Joe Biden for an act of selflessness that is unprecedented in our history. Joe Biden showed by his actions that the defense of democracy is the highest imperative. By stepping back, he may have made himself one of the most consequential leaders in our history.

And I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz for bringing back a sense of joy and enthusiasm to this process that hardly seemed possible at the time.

The threats that we’ve spoken about today are dangerous, and disturbing. For many years, our political culture has been filled with rage, ugliness and hatred. Psychologically, it could easily wear us down.

And yet in almost no time at all, Kamala Harris has turned us toward pride and optimism about what is possible for our future.

We are facing grave threats that we must take seriously. But we can win by setting joy against them. And it isn’t wrong to point out that this stuff is weird! Who wants to live in that kind of a world?

So now’s the time everyone, let’s win this thing. Let’s defend our democracy by making the most of our democracy.

See you at the victory celebration!