“Democracy is not a spectator sport.” —Marian Wright Edelman
As we approached an election the world was watching, two truths were real: one, women had the power to decide this election. Disproportionately, women—and especially women of color—have been the ones sharing information, networking, volunteering, organizing. (It’s no accident that the two most profound political movements of the last decade, #MeToo and Black Lives Matter, were both founded by Black women.)
And two, our basic voting rights as Americans are still elusive. This has specific implications for women, particularly now, during a pandemic, when it becomes harder for caregivers or minimum-wage workers to safely cast votes in person.
In the month before the election, artists, filmmakers and writers spoke out about what was at stake in The Meteor’s series 30 Days Till Tomorrow—with a focus on helping everyone exercise their right to vote.
See some of the original film, art and inspiration of 30 Days Till Tomorrow here and view the rest on our Instagram.
Writer/Director: Yara Travieso • Editor: Lorena Alvarado • Director of Photography: Katia Repina • Music: Lizdelise • Additional Footage: Pond5 • Creative Producer: Marjan Tehrani
All those stereotypes about Gen Z? “Wrong,” says activist and Harvard University film student Treasure Brooks.
Director: Treasure Brooks • Director of Photography/Editor: Benjamin Ades • Creative Producer: Marjan Tehrani • Managing Producer: Rebecca Halperin • Styling: Cerise Graham • Music: MusicToday80 • Music provided by RFM
Civil rights activist and poet Nikki Giovanni has one message this fall (written in verse, of course): Vote.
Director: Lauren Lumsden • Director of Photography: Laura Saunders • Editor: Jessica Gidal • Creative Producer: Marjan Tehrani
MARIANE PEARL: BEHIND MY BALLOT
Journalist Mariane Pearl can claim four nationalities—but the US is the one country she chose freely. Here’s the intensely personal story of her American vote
In June 2009, I was naturalized as an American. That day, on my last trip to Garden City, New York, to the now-defunct United States Citizenship and Immigration Services office, I spring-walked by billboards shooting their messages to the heavens. Becoming American felt like an accomplishment for me, a chance to review the ideals I held in a new light and commit to them…
Photo illustrations by Debbie Millman
Members of Girl Be Heard reenact civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer’s 1964 speech.
Director: Kim Sykes • Editor: Jessica Gidal • Music: Emily Wells • Creative Producer: Marjan Tehrani • Managing Producer: Rebecca Halperin
Creator, producer and humanitarian Angelica Ross reads a powerful letter to her transgender family.
Director/Editor/Music: Ocean Vashti Jude • Featuring: Angelica Ross • Creative Producer: Marjan Tehrani • Managing Producer: Rebecca Halperin
“If ‘Did Not Vote’ had been a candidate, it would have won the 2016 election by a mile,” says data journalist Mona Chalabi.
Writer/Director: Mona Chalabi • Editor: Ellen Callaghan • Music: Emily Wells • Creative Producer: Marjan Terani • Managing Producer: Rebecca Halperin
HIGHLIGHTS
With support from team members Aly Sarafa, Grace Han, Marjan Tehrani, Melissa Saucedo Gonzalez, Nantasha Williams, Niamh Cremin and Rebecca Halperin.
