Why Should African American People Exercise their Right to Vote?

       Why Should African American People Exercise their Right to Vote?

 Election Day is coming soon, and I felt that it was only right to do a blog on the importance of voting, and why African American people should absolutely exercise their right to vote. We live in a world where we see injustices happening around us everyday. Unfortunately, a lot of these injustices are usually happening to people of color. The list of injustices goes on and on, but I will name a few: school to prison pipeline in poverty stricken areas, police brutality, high incarceration rates for non-violent crimes, and so much more. When you really think about it, why are things the way that they are? Well, we could make the biblical argument that we live in a sinful fallen world. We could also make the argument that this is just the sad world we live in, and it will only get worse. We could also open our eyes and realize that the people who are placed in positions of power in our government and in our community, are making a lot of the policies that we see on a day to day basis. For an example, urban public schools have long been failing students. Students with brown skin tend to not graduate high school at higher rates, not finish college at higher rates, and are known for being grade levels behind their actual grade. The education system has become more of a hinderance to Black people than it has been a help. Why is this still a problem to this day, when this has been an issue that has been happening for decades? The answer is pretty simple. Local, federal, and state governance are the institutions who make these huge decisions on behalf of the school districts. Though they all have different roles, they are still the team that will be deciding school regulations, funding, and other important issues that will either help a student to succeed or fail. Again, I cannot say it enough. These are still people that we put in office when we vote. 

                          The Painful History Behind Voting 

We all are very much aware of the gruesome history that Black people faced during slavery. The whippings that resulted in black flesh being exposed, the sterilization that many Black men fell victim to, and the constant dehumanization was never ending. Despite all they had to face, there was nothing that could be done about it, because Black people were not allowed to vote. This resulted in White people creating policies that were not in their best interest. It was a vicsious cycle of unfairness. Up until the 15th amendment, Black people were practically not able to vote. The 14th amendment technically stated that  former slaves that were born in the United States could vote, but there were even stipulations on that. This made it nearly impossible for them to vote. The 15th amendment brought a bit more hope for the Black race. According to the article called When did African Americans Get the Right to Vote by Sarah Pruitt it stated, "In 1870, congress passed the last of the three so-called Reconstruction Amendments, the 15th Amendment, which stated that voting rights could not be "denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous conditions of servitude." This would have seemed like a victory for Black people, but unfortunately it was not due to the KKK, and the specific qualifications that needed to be done in order for one to vote. These     qualifications were literacy tests, poll taxes, and other qualifications that discriminated against Black people. These practices were not banned until 1965 with the Voting Rights Act. This was a step closer to real equality, but there still was a lot more work that needed to be done for true equality to take place for Black people. 

                                             Current Day 

2020 has been a year of many ups and downs. From Covid taking the lives of millions of people, to Black people still not receiving the best health care experience, and to more Black men being killed by the hands of our police officers that we are told to trust. Between the riots, protest, and Black people coming together to say enough is enough, I think that society is almost ready to explode with all of the tension that 2020 has brought about. The racial tension has been so thick, that cutting it would seem nearly impossible. Freedom is something that Black people have been wanting to experience for a long time. ABSOLUTE FULL FREEDOM. You may be thinking, well slavery is over so we are all free right? When you think about everything that society has in place to keep Black people down, you would think twice about that question. Black parents are faced to have to speak to their child about police brutality, and how to act if you get pulled over. Banks deny qualified Black people to live in certain areas to keep them in ares where the odds of the value of their house going up is very slim. Gentrification is on the rise, and Blacks not Whites are the ones being pushed out.  The truth of the matter is that TRUE FREEDOM for Black people is still a long way to go. Has things improved since slavery, yes. As much as we may want to see the glass half full, we are constantly bombarded by images of innocent Black people being killed on the TV. It makes you want to turn off the TV, and sing old hymns that our ancestors sung to get them through the day. I end this by saying, VOTE! It is the one out of a few ways to hopefully see some change on the horizon. I end with this quote from one of my favorite Black authors Zora Neale Hurston:

"Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by time. That is the life of men."

 ~Their Eyes Were Watching God