I’m writing to you live from Hong Kong. Now, you might wonder what I’m doing here.
Since massive protests for freedom, justice, and democracy erupted in Hong Kong a few months ago, I’ve been reporting here live for Independent Women’s Forum.
We believe it’s important to be on the front lines of the fight for freedom.
This is one of the most critical democratic movements in recent history—a free society, fighting for its soul, under terrible threat from Beijing. Here, any bid for freedom carries risks. Hong Kong’s people deeply desire democracy. The power to elect their own leaders is probably the only chance they have of systematically protecting themselves from China’s predations.
In the 33 years that I have been following this saga, never have I had more respect for Hong Kong’s people than I did this past Sunday, as they turned out in record numbers to vote. The posts directly up for grabs were relatively trivial, as China has stolen from Hong Kongers the promised power to elect their own chief executive and full legislature.
But even these highly limited elections gave Hong Kongers the chance to register their choices at the ballot box—something we often take for granted as Americans.
Almost 3 million people lined up peacefully at polling stations, many waiting patiently for hours, to cast their votes. This show of support for Hong Kong’s democracy movement was so clear, big, and indisputable that even China’s propaganda organs were briefly at a loss for comment.
With Sunday’s vote, Hong Kong’s people were sending a message to each other, to Beijing, and to the world. We’re watching a free society trying everything in its power to fend off the chokehold of a tyranny that increasingly threatens us all—but Hong Kong first and foremost.
Their fight for freedom is one that we should all rally behind. And we invite you to join Independent Women’s Forum as we fight for freedom, opportunity, and choice at home and in democracies abroad.
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Thank you and have a happy Thanksgiving,