It is no secret that Black History Month is an entire month dedicated to celebrating black excellence throughout history. Recently I found out that every year, Black History Month is given a theme by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Last year, the theme was “black migrations” and this year, the theme is “African Americans and the vote”.
The purpose of this year’s theme is to recognize the struggle black and brown Americans face when it comes to their voting rights.
A Brief Overview of Facts on Black History and the Right to Vote:
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In 1965 Martin Luther King Jr. organized peaceful demonstrations in order to press the government to allow African Americans their civil voting rights.
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The law that allowed African Americans to vote and prevented racial discrimination in voting was passed and signed by Lyndon B. Johnson on August 6, 1965. Martin Luther King Jr. and several Civil Rights Movement activists were present during this signing.
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President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated the first African American man to cabinet, Robert C. Weaver, as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in 1966.
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In 1977 the first African American woman was appointed cabinet secretary for Housing and Urban Development, her name was Patricia Roberts Harris.
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2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the 15th amendment, which gave black men the right to vote. As well as the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment which when passed gave black women the right to vote as well.
When we look back on the events that occurred during the era of the 15th and 19th amendments we see that the achievements that came from the black community were endless.With that being said there still has to be an acknowledgment of the ongoing voter suppression today. Voter suppression has been used to keep marginalized groups from participating in elections by diminishing their ability to cast a vote. With the upcoming general election in 2020, I encourage everyone to register, I encourage my brothers and sisters to read about our history and stay sharp and even more so