VOTE

amanda pereira, Patron Saint of Native Earth,

Part III

 

4) Why should artists vote?

 

Growing up a part of the performing arts, I have seen first hand how difficult it is to find the funding and support to keep the arts going. The only way to acquire this support is through the action of the members of the performing arts community. It is up to us to request and demand support, and this cannot be done without the support of our fellow artists. The performing arts are seriously underrepresented, Indigenous peoples are even more so underrepresented in the government, and I believe the only way this can change is by collective action. In being an artist, you are creating and exercising a voice of freedom and expression. This voice needs to be heard, and it will not be unless each artist pushes a little further and demands his or her voice be heard on a national level. As much as it is the responsibility of artists to present the messages they have through the stories they tell, it is their responsibility to ensure the stories and voices of the next generation of artists may also be acknowledged. This can be done simply by having each artist vote and therefore collectively demonstrate a more powerful presence in this federal election. For our voices cannot be heard unless we speak.