Citing the Arab Spring and dissenters taking to the streets across Europe and the United States, Time magazine has named “The Protester” as its “Person of the Year for 2011.” Democracy Now! played a role in inspiring one of the people profiled in the issue. In Why I Protest: Dr. Arthur Chen of Oakland, California, Chen is asked how, “How did you go about participating in the protests?” He cites our program in his response:

“It was really hearing it in the news and hearing it through radio announcements, they’re just totally on top of that. Democracy Now, if you’re familiar with Amy Goodman. And so they were openly publicizing it and explaining it. So it was really helpful, and that prompted me to feel, okay, this is the moment and you really have to participate and you have to take time off and be there in solidarity with this and you know, help have representation. And then as a person of color, certainly here in Oakland, we have such a diverse population, but it’s really important for people to see that the whole spectrum of our demographics are there, and feeling the need to really participate and be counted.”

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