But, why is this year’s election so important?
“A lot of it is rooted in the 2016 election. I don’t think all of the country has healed and I think the rhetoric has either been just as negative or worse at times,” said Dr. Kraybill.
“I think sometimes we’re disappointed in our leadership and how they respond, so we might want to be on the sidelines and not participate, but that’s when we have to hold them accountable even more so.”
The last several months have exposed many challenges that were already there, including disparities in healthcare, income, communities of color navigating COVID, issues surrounding social injustice and more.
Get out there, let your voice be heard!
“I think of so many people who never had the right to vote,” explained Dr. Kraybill. “I don’t ever want to be disrespectful to the people who have had to fight so hard for myself, as a woman, to vote, but I also think of communities of color, people who are disenfranchised and how they’re still fighting for their right to vote.”
She said she can’t take it for granted, because there are many people who don’t get to vote with the same ease that she’s been able to. That’s one of the sacred parts of voting, for her.
“We have to carry the torch for the next generation. It’s not just about us. It’s about the collective body politic and us wanting to survive as a democracy,” said Dr. Kraybill.