OPINION: A few thoughts to contemplate during the summer break as we approach the anniversary of the 1965 Voting Rights Act

As we approach the 160th anniversary of the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act (On August 4, 1965, the United States Senate passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. On August 6, 1965, President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act.), one overwhelming thought of the writer is how mis-educated he was when it came to civics. It loomed large because from the fifth grade on, history and the social studies were his favorite subjects and the ones where he had scored the highest on standardized tests. If he could so easily be mis-educated by biased textbooks and teachers who so closely followed them, how much more could students who were not diligent social studies scholars be mis-led? 

For example, the writer had dreamed of becoming the congressman from the Second District of Mississippi based upon the fact that state maps showed that the vast majority of its population was Black. Neither the civics, Mississippi history, or U.S. history books had talked about the barriers to Black voter registration and participation that would make a dream laughable.

Realizing the 15th Amendment had given Black people the right to vote, he did not realize the Amendment was not self-actualizing. Even worse, he was not taught about how the ex-Confederates had overthrown Reconstruction and passed laws disfranchising the vast majority of Black voters. Evidences of his mis-education were written all over the place.

After the 1964 Civil Rights Act became law, it dawned on many that without the vote not much was going to change. Therefore, in the face of massive Black-led protests, Lyndon Johnson made the political decision to propose a voting rights bill. He realized the Democratic Party had lost its southern white supporters based upon the racial desegregation of the public schools and the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. A voting rights act would enable Black voters to replace the White voters who had left the Party.

Since neither these Acts nor the counter actions were in the textbooks and white state officials dictated the curriculum, Black students were in the dark so far as political education was concerned. This shows the reason why the “Freedom Schools” were so important.

In this context of Black disfranchisement and mis-education, the Voting Rights Bill was passed. It removed the impediments of having to pay a poll tax and having to pass a literacy test in order to register to vote. The bill authorized the use of federal monitors and registrars. It also required states having a history of voter discrimination to get “pre-clearance,” that is, permission, before implementing any changes in their voting laws. 

The result of this Voting Rights Act was moving from less than 20% of Black citizens being registered to vote in Mississippi to a condition wherein nearly 70% became voters. The state moved from having only one Black mayor – the all-Black town of Mound Bayou – to having dozens of municipalities with Black mayors and majority-Black city councils. It eventually moved to Mississippi having more Black elected officials than any other state. Equally as important, the large percentage of Black registered voters transformed a large number of political campaigns from being forums where white men were elected based upon how anti-Black their rhetoric was to forums wherein they expressed concern for all of the people. 

Fast-forwarding to 2013, one finds the Supreme Court gutting the Voting Rights Act in the case of Shelby County vs. Holder. That decision enabled states, especially those of the old Confederacy, to go back to the practices of racial disfranchisement, which many have done without hesitation.

Thus, the final thought here is that Black people must be actively involved in the forefront defending the democratic opportunity provided by the 15th Amendment and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. We realize voting is not the only tool available and that America has never been fully democratic – that just indicates the nature of the struggle. The burden, the opportunity, and the obligation are on us to do whatever is necessary to achieve the status of being fully free and fully equal. We can start by reviving the Voting Rights Act. Contemplate that during the summer break and be ready to join your neighbors and political representatives after the break.