Upstate NY Bannering Project 8/29

On Saturday, August 29th, travelers in New York between Buffalo and Albany, and from the Southern Tier to the North Country, viewed democracy in action. Citizens stood on overpasses in both directions and on roadsides, holding fifteen-foot banners emblazoned with slogans that urged them to fulfill their most fundamental civic duty: Vote in November.

Forty-two grassroots groups dedicated to protecting democracy sent teams to 50 interstate overpasses and roadside ground locations to make their message clear: the current leadership in Washington is harmful to America’s economy and Constitution. Their goal is to bring voters to the polls in the midterm elections to flip the House and Senate blue.

In our area, local groups from Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, and Wyoming Counties raised banners on bridges above the Thruway and interstate highways and in local roadside parks. Their messages urged people to use their votes to change policies related to war/peace, the cost of living, and health care. Most vehicles, including big rigs, honked in support of the messaging, a kind of vote in itself.

Many local participants belong to Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace and to chapters of Indivisible. GVCP is a chapter of Peace Action New York State.

Indivisible is a nationwide movement of everyday people organizing on the ground in all 50 states to stop the rise of authoritarianism in the United States.

What made this project work was the numerous groups across New York State that joined forces. Organizers state “to our knowledge this is the first time grassroot groups across hundreds of miles self-organized around a common goal and action.”

“Bannering” has become a common sight on highway overpasses in recent years, as people have become alarmed by corruption, abuse of citizens and those seeking citizenship, and attempts to dismantle voting rights.

Organizers say, “With all the noise out there in the media, we wanted a direct, hands-on way to get our message in front of voters.” Our first priority is the safety of participants and drivers alike. Our second priority is to get people to vote for change in November. We are worried about the erosion of many of our civil rights that Americans have fought and died for since 1776. We see these protests as one way of protecting and restoring our hard-won freedoms.