Jazz Parade for Democracy
On Nov. 1, just a few days before the general election, many people gathered on the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville for the Jazz Parade, hosted by the Charlottesville Indivisible chapter. Indivisible is a progressive national organization whose goals are to preserve and restore democracy. They are well known for organizing the No Kings Protests that took place throughout the country.
The parade started at Ting Pavilion. It had very theatrical imagery with many of the participants dressed in different costumes including a woman dressed as a Statue of Liberty in chains and another holding an American flag wrapped in chains. A few participants held a coffin, and many others held tombstones that held the names of different programs, rights, and values in the United States. For example, some stated “R.I.P Democracy,” “R.I.P Medicare,” and “R.I.P Rule of Law.”
To complete the jazz aspect, there was a jazz band playing somber music as they walked to the other end of the mall. The beginning of the parade served as a symbol for the death of democracy.
The demographic of the group was mainly older, and not many young people were there. A UVA student observing the parade gave his thoughts on why: “One of the reasons for sure is the fact that many people are uninformed. Especially at least at my college, UVA, some people don’t think that it really concerns them, because some people misunderstand that these current issues and events can impact lives, and we need to place more emphasis on making sure ignorance doesn’t exist within our communities.”
Another student also shared his thoughts on the absence of young people: “Social media, as well. There are a lot of good movements, but people see things on there and just forget about them, as they’re on to the next thing. Though these things are still happening even if they’re not popular on social media.”
At the top of the mall, the mood of the parade turned around from somber to joyful. The chains of the flag and of Lady Liberty were broken, and the “R.I.P” was removed from the various tombstones. The grieving part was over, and the band switched to more upbeat and celebratory music. Classic hymns such as “This Little Light of Mine” and “This Land is Your Land” were played as they walked down to Ting Pavilion.
With the shift of the mood, the parade seemed to symbolize both the potential death of democracy and also faith in its restoration through activism and collective action. Especially with the event being aligned with the election right around the corner, this event served as a motivator for people to take action for change within the community and the country.
