What's Democracy?
“What’s democracy?” This is the question that my nine year old daughter, Maddie, asked me a few Saturday’s ago. My seven year old daughter, Leah chimed in as well. “Yeah, Dad. What is… democracy?” I field a lot of questions as a high school teacher and a father of three. In fact, I’m sure I’ve answered this exact question many times in class. But this time was different. The circumstances that gave birth to this question were what made it so memorable. We had just ducked out of the March for Our Lives in Chicago and we were heading north on Loomis Street. Thirty years ago, when I was eight, we would have been walking among warehouses and factories but today those same old buildings have given way to high-end lofts, trendy boutiques and sidewalk cafes. The four of us had just met up with a group from my school to participate in this historical event. From the Right: Mike, Leah, Nate and Maddie on the corner of Loomis and Washington I didn’t really know how to ex