The 2022 midterm election is today! A lot is at stake for the Black community should the Republican party gain control of either the House or Senate.
There is a long, well-documented history of African-Americans fighting for suffrage.
Although free Black men did participate in politics by voting and holding office in the late 1870s, during the Reconstruction era following the abolishment of slavery —the newly freed men were still disenfranchised from exercising those rights fully. The grandfather clause, for example, said that a man could only vote if his ancestor had been a voter before 1867—how could a Black person’s ancestor vote if slavery didn’t end until 1865? Constitutionally, Black people were just considered three-fifths of a human. Other tactics, like impossible literacy tests, were also utilized to prevent Black men from voting.
As the journey for the 1965 Voting Rights Act to pass was deadly, it is evident why voter apathy is still prevalent within the Black community.
While voting is not the only solution–as our ancestors had to do a lot of rebellion before that–here is a healthy reminder of why we must vote. These photos of Black Americans fighting for and exercising their right to vote should inspire you.
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