More than 500 people gathered on Saturday afternoon at Atlanta’s Freedom Park for a “Protect the Vote” Rally, which turned into an impromptu victory party after former Vice President Joe Biden was named the presumptive president elect by the Associated Press hours earlier.
“We’re making noise because we are celebrating today,” an organizer called out, holding a microphone to his lips.
The crowd cheered, spilling throughout the park and onto the sidewalk in the city’s Little Five Points neighborhood. A cacophony of sounds filled the air, resounding cries of joy mixed with a bumping sound system and honking horns.
“Our work doesn’t end, but today we’re celebrating,” one supporter said. “Tomorrow, we’ll be back at it.”
Volunteers were onsite from a non-profit founded by former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, which is responsible for registering more than 500,000 new voters in the state since 2013. They’re feeling good, the director told me, because of the progress they’ve made. Other non-profits were onsite with free merchandise, voter registration forms, and a buffet lunch table, as well as a series of speakers to rally the crowd.
“If there’s no planet, none of this matters,” one non-profit leader said, looking at the crowd. “And we all know that our former President was an existential threat to the climate.”
“An attack on democracy is an attack on the planet,” she continued. “And that will not stand in Georgia.”
The mood in Freedom Park was ecstatic on Saturday afternoon, as Democratic voters and other Joe Biden supporters mingled in socially distanced groups, with about 95% of people wearing masks and adhering to CDC guidelines.
“I feel elated,” one woman said. “My soul feels light today. I feel free.”
[Editors Note]: It is here that I want to remind you of the premise of this project — we are more alike than different and most people are good. We the Voters is a non-partisan project; coverage of any group or event by We the Voters does not equal endorsement. As with all of my coverage in the past year, I hope it helps you gain a more full picture of the many pieces in the American puzzle.
