On April 1, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker broke the record for the longest speech on the Senate floor, clocking in at 25 hours and five minutes of non-stop advocating for Americans.

The record was previously held by Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina for his 1957 attempt to block the Civil Rights Act. His attempt was unsuccessful.

Booker was not allowed to sit, eat or leave to use the restroom during the duration of the speech, and he obviously didn’t sleep for this 25-hour period as well. But he hardly appeared to be tired, as he kept reading testimonials from constituents, quoted poetry and spoke critically of the current presidential administration.

A top concern of Booker’s was the administration’s cuts to healthcare funding, like the $11.4 Billion cut from local health departments, and the looming fear of major cuts to Medicare and Medicaid programs.

Booker spent hours reading the true stories of families and individuals affected by disability and chronic illness, people that rely on healthcare coverage assistance programs like Medicare and Medicaid to survive. At times, he even got visibly emotional while reading stories from parents with terminally ill children, or of individuals struggling to care for both sick children and elderly parents.

In addition to reading testimonials, Booker got temporary reprieve from non-stop talking by engaging with other senators who were permitted to ask questions while Booker maintained hold of the Senate floor.

But one could ask: What’s the point? Can talking for 25 hours really affect change?
I urge you, reader, to think about the way that words can plant seeds of change for ages to come.

Some of the biggest movements in American history started with speeches or words on a page: The Declaration of Independence, The Gettysburg Address, Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream Speech,” and countless other addresses to the American public for the sake of change.

Booker was inspired to address the Senate, and the nation, by another marathon speech in 2016 led by Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, in which Murphy and Booker spoke for 15 hours to discuss gun violence after the massacre at Pulse nightclub in Orlando. This filibuster could be considered unsuccessful, as the bill that Murphy and Booker were advocating for, which proposed new gun policies, was not passed. However it could be argued that the filibuster was successful after all, in sparking conversations about common sense gun laws and stricter policies when it comes to gun ownership.

It’s important to note that Booker’s speech last week is not technically considered a filibuster, because he was not trying to block a particular piece of legislation from being passed.

Booker may not have blocked any legislation, but his words will have a lasting impact.

Booker used his privilege to raise the voices of everyday Americans who are concerned about their access, or potential lack thereof, to life-saving healthcare. He took control of the Senate floor and used his voice as a megaphone for people who may never otherwise have the opportunity to share their words in Congress. Isn’t this the role of every elected official? To represent the rest of us, and represent us while being respectful and mindful of our stories and our struggles?

Around hour 21, Booker posed the question, “Are you better off than you were 72 days ago, economically?” The 72 days he’s referring to are the first few months of Donald Trump’s presidency.

And honestly, this is a question that everyone should ask themselves in regard to their elected officials. Are our representatives working to improve the lives of Americans? Are they representing us fairly? Are they working with our best interests in mind?

The beauty of American democracy is that we can elect officials who we believe can best represent us. We have the power to elect who we think is right for the job. And we also have the freedom to be critical of our government and people in power.

If you take anything away from this speech, let it be that it is a right and a privilege to be critical of those in power if you think that their words or actions warrant criticism.

In many places in the world, citizens and journalists do not have the freedom to openly criticize their government, let alone for members of said government to be critical of their own colleagues and systems.

Booker not only expressed criticism toward the current administration, but reminded the hundreds of thousands of people who tuned in that it’s your right to be critical when necessary, to hold elected officials accountable and to talk about the way that policies affect the lives of real Americans.

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