Our Wild Card! program classes started this year with a series of simple questions that I asked the kids:

“Who has the right to vote in our country, and who doesn’t? Is this fair? Why? Or why not?”

The responses to my questions included: “non-citizens”, “animals”, “kids”, and “prisoners”.

When asked whether it was fair to deny the vote to those on the list, many of the kids said no, most fervantly with regards to immigrants, prisoners, and kids. Most of the students expressed their frustrations at not being allowed to vote themselves because of their age, arguing that their voices and opinions were important enough to deserve a vote, and that, since kids are in school, they are often more equipped to vote than most adults because they are still engaged in daily education.

The kids expressed confusion and disappointment when we discussed the electoral college and the ways in which national elections are often determined by just a few states, rather than the sense that each vote counts.

The kids were appalled when we discussed the Civil Rights Act, and the reasons it was necessary – voter discrimination and violence against voters- and that it took so long for African American and Latino American voters’ rights to be protected.

The results of these discussions can be seen in our upcoming shows – All in Favor: the voting plays, in which the kids voice their opinions in the plays that they’ve written. In each of these plays, you’ll find two characters voted upon by the group: a grandma and a rainbow. And you’ll see a “wild card” character determined by each child.

You’ll see plays about the right to vote and the right to sing. You’ll see plays about freedom for pets and freedom for immigrants. And most importantly, you’ll see Olneyville kids having the chance to engage in civic discourse on the public stage.

Voter Registration tables will be present in case you aren’t registered yet. And a talk-back with the playwrights will be held following the Sunday afternoon show.

All in Favor:the voting plays is made possible through major funding support from The Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, an independent state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Performances will be at the Met School in the Media and Arts Center at 325 Public St.

Friday October 5th at 7, Saturday October 6th at 7, Sunday October 7th at 3

Hope to see you there,

Meg Sullivan