'They can't take our joy!' Viral video shows Philadelphia voters dancing to the Cha Cha Slide as they wait in lengthy lines to cast their 2020 ballots
Voters in Philadelphia waited for hours to cast their ballots this weekend, but some beat the boredom with a joyful dance as they stood in line.
A viral video that's been viewed over 6.4 million times on Twitter shows a group of Philly voters waiting outside their local polling place while happily and enthusiastically dancing to the Cha Cha Slide.
The moment is being hailed as a demonstration of 'joyful resistance' to voter suppression, with Ava DuVernay, Alyssa Milano, and more celebrating the entertaining clip.
Fun! Voters in Philadelphia waited for hours to cast their ballots this weekend, but some beat the boredom with a joyful dance as they stood in line
To the left! A viral video that's been viewed over 6.4 million times on Twitter shows a group of Philly voters waiting outside their local polling place while dancing to the Cha Cha Slide
It was planned by Election Defenders, a nonpartisan coalition that works to make sure voters are 'staying safe and healthy outside of polling places across the country and bringing them some joy'
The video begins with a s hot of a man wearing a surgical mask and a 'F*** 2020' T-shirt busting a move at the front of the line.
Behind him are several more voters who are dancing as well, presumably smiling under their masks.
And encouraging them from the parking lot are members of the Resistance Revival Chorus, a collective of women and nonbinary artists and activists who dressed in white and danced along to pump up the crowd.
While the voters may not have been expecting a party when they turned up that day, the dancing wasn't completely spontaneous: It had been planned by Election Defenders, a nonpartisan coalition that works to make sure voters are 'staying safe and healthy outside of polling places across the country and bringing them some joy.'
Nelini Stamp, 32, the director of strategy for the Working Families Party and the campaign director for Election Defenders, told BuzzFeed that the dance moment was part of their Joy to the Polls initiative.
Bust a move! Encouraging them from the parking lot are members of the Resistance Revival Chorus, a collective of women and nonbinary artists and activists
Good times: Joy to the Polls is a roving concert with local talent that is entertaining voters as they wait to cast their ballots this year
Issues: While the dancing video has certainly boosted spirits, one of the organizers noted that it's problematic that anyone should have to wait that long to vote in the first place
Joy to the Polls is a roving concert with local talent that is entertaining voters as they wait to cast their ballots this year.
In addition, Election Defenders is providing training in de-escalation tactics to prepare people for what to do if they're intimidated at polling locations.
'Because voter suppression has been rampant for years, because there has been so much in the media and so much out there about white supremacists and militia intimidation tactics, we figured that this was a year to make sure that people felt motivated to go vote and not feel unsafe,' Stamp said.
'Especially in the middle of a global pandemic.'
While the dancing video has certainly boosted spirits, Stamp noted that it's problematic that anyone should have to wait that long to vote in the first place.
'That person should not have to have to wait in line for an hour,' she said.
'However, we wanted to do something good for those people [standing in line],' she went on.
Reactions: The moment is being hailed as a demonstration of 'joyful resistance' to voter suppression, with Ava DuVernay, Alyssa Milano, and more celebrating the entertaining clip
'And it felt really good that that person and those folks who saw — whether it was the Cha Cha Slide or the Wobble or people doing the Electric Slide, it at least brought them some joy and some relief in a process that wasn't meant for us, especially black and brown people.'
The video has been praise on social media, with director Ava DuVernay tweeting: 'I love us so much. We rise. Always.'
'They can’t take our joy. They’ve tried. But hope wins,' added Alyssa Milano.
'A whole mood! The joyful defiance of dancing in line at the polls in a “f*** 2020” Tshirt is what voting in 2020 looks like! Nothing and no one is getting in the way of our joy and our vote!' tweeted the account for the Resistance Revival Chorus.
Comedian Sarah Cooper wrote: 'Voter suppression but make it fun.'
'I LOVE LOVE my people,' said another commenter. 'Told y'all black folk are DETERMINED to be the ones leading the pact to defeat a racist. We'll dance to feel the joy of ousting the racist, stand in the rain, wait in line for 4 hours if we have to because #TrumpMustGo.'
'OMG ...everyone should be doing this while they wait!! It looks like so much fun!!!!' tweeted one more.
'We need more of this. Election day should be a national holiday culminating weeks of parades, dancing, singing, joy. Like Mardi Gras. Celebrate. That I voted sticker should be a badge of honor for all to wear,' yet another said.
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