Democracy Is a Verb | Guest Column by Reality Winner

In 2018, I received the longest sentence ever for leaking classified information to the press.

My experience has been turned into a Tony-winning play, an HBO film and a documentary. “Winner,” the first narrative film to depict my life before the leak, is in theaters now. Even though there have been multiple projects about my experience, this is the first and only depiction of my life before 2017, before the leaked documents and the subsequent felony.

My hope is that anybody who sees this latest film will recognize themselves, or someone they love, in me. Hopefully they see that I was a typical, if not boring, person, who had hopes and flaws like anyone else… until one moment came to define my entire being.

Imagine your entire life being framed by a single decision you regret — a decision made when you were idealistic and naive. Suddenly, they made me seem like this mysterious “other,” when in reality, I’m that person who never dresses up (I currently have to wear real pants a few times a week for college labs, but it’s athletic wear nearly every other day of the year). I cuss; I listen to pop culture and gossip podcasts; my family used to gather on Christmas to go shooting guns out in our backyard where I now live. It was never political like everything is now.

Currently, my worst habit is taking home every stray puppy I find, so my family convinced me to pursue an animal science degree instead of trying to save every puppy in the world all by myself. I spent most of my military career in dimly-lit rooms talking to other grown-ass adults about Pokemon as if they were living, breathing beings.

Sometimes, the big moments that define us, these so-called “acts of courage,” were never huge decisions. There was no plan. Sometimes, someone is in the right place at the right time, and they take a stand against an entire system hiding behind a concept of secrecy it invented as a way to gaslight the people it claims to serve.

However, I never encourage others to take my path – I did betray an oath I took to protect that information. I broke the law and I have to live with the consequences every day. What’s been the biggest challenge is redefining myself after being so publicly misunderstood throughout my incarceration.

I’ve always felt like my experience transcended right or left to tell a deeper story about our democracy and what is required to preserve it. With the upcoming election upon us, all eyes will be on the ballot boxes this November as we gather by the millions to decide the very future of our country. The stakes couldn’t be higher. To say that the political climate over the last eight or so years has been bleak would be an understatement. Issues seem impenetrable, especially at the federal level, and the tone that has been set is toxic at best.

As a felon, voting is currently out of reach for me. For most of the population, voting is how we exercise our free will within the democratic system. But what if getting out to vote is the bare minimum we can do to create a healthy democracy?

If we want to affect real change, it takes more than a vote every four years.

We need to stand tall when others remain seated, to raise our voices when all those around us are silent. And you usually don’t have to break the law to accomplish that.

So how do we energize a new generation of young people and convince them that Democracy is worth fighting for? We can share stories of individuals who have treated democracy as a verb. Regular people who have acted even when it wasn’t easy.

For me, it begins with my mother, Billie Winner-Davis, a social worker, who taught me that every job or career is an opportunity to serve — it’s others like her who are doing the heavy lifting to protect our kids. It’s the woman and friend in my hometown who started a dog rescue and ran for mayor based on our city’s abysmal stray dog issue.

Or Crystal Mason, a woman I did time with who also found the courage to stand up. After completing a sentence for tax fraud, Crystal was again arrested for casting a provisional vote in the 2016 election. She had never been told she could not vote as a convicted felon so now she has launched a non-profit to fight to restore voting rights for those who have served their time.

These are people just like you and me, people who hold the power to affect change from the ground up.

Social media has created opportunities for individuals to get involved as well. The right Facebook post or Tweet can go a great distance to raise awareness and move the needle. But don’t be afraid to unplug and take your activism offline! Send emails to state and local offices, talk with people in person. The people who are in state and local offices are required to meet with you. They do have to follow up, it’s their job.

We’re all in this together. Our democracy only works if we work in community to safeguard it. You don’t have to be a whistleblower or a hardcore activist. You don’t have to have a long history of selfless acts under your belt. Sometimes it only takes one person to do the hard thing.

A campaign was just launched for anybody who wants to get involved in their community. It’s an opportunity to stand up and take action with us. If you’re interested please visit the website and have your voice heard beyond the voting booth. This is what democracy in action looks like, and it’s a beautiful thing.

Reality Winner is a former U.S. Air Force veteran, CrossFit enthusiast and pet rescuer who also received the longest sentence ever for leaking classified information to the press. “Winner,” a film based on the life of Reality Winner, directed by Susanna Fogel, is in theaters and on paid VOD now.

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