To mark Black History Month, AMEL President Mohamed Abubakr shared reflections on the struggles to achieve and safeguard democracy - from the U.S. to Sudan - with the American Democracy Month Council:

“I came across a study that shows that 70% of young Americans don't believe that it's absolutely essential to live in a democracy. This figure should be...cause for national emergency - it's a catastrophe...Those who believe that you can actually be okay in an undemocratic society simply never lived in an undemocratic society…If you are to ask any young person today from Sudan or from any country if it’s worth it - if it’s worth all the blood that has been spilled facing those bullets - their answer would be absolutely yes.”

According to the World Values Survey, living in a democracy is considered essential by only 30% of American young people and less than a majority of those under the age of 60.

With this in mind, the American Democracy Month Council - which includes former Senate Majority Leaders Bob Dole, Tom Daschle, George Mitchell and Trent Lott, among many other notable figures - is leading efforts to restore Americans’ strong faith in democracy and to familiarize Americans with the historic importance of the U.S. democratic system. Working throughout the year, and during National Democracy Month – September – the group includes some of the most well respected stewards of American Democracy who come together to nurture a broader understanding of democracy and restore its widespread support.

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