Human dignity represents the inherent and equal worth of every person everywhere. Democracy is how we express our dignity; it is how we claim our rights to human flourishing and to live in a society of our own making. Dignity and democracy are intimately related; they need each other to survive. The United States Supreme Court has recognized that democracy “rests on the premise of individual dignity and choice,” while voting itself, the South African Constitutional Court, has found, “is a badge of dignity and of personhood. Quite literally, it says that everybody counts.”
During this fraught election season, we invite a conversation about dignity and democracy. Panelists discuss voter suppression, racial electoral inequities, gerrymandering, and other impediments to the full expression of participatory dignity.