Black History

Why the 150th Anniversary of the 15th Amendment Deserves Your Attention in 2020

Published

5 years ago

February 11, 2020

As the 2020 Presidential campaign unfolds, history marks the 150^th anniversary of the 15^th Amendment which gave Black men the right to vote and paved the way for a short-lived chapter of political achievement upended by the brutally oppressive Jim Crow era.

“The ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment in 1870 occurred at a time that different circles were debating who should have access to the franchise, especially given the fact that African Americans were newly-included citizens in the United States via the Fourteenth Amendment,” explains Dr. Shayla Nunnally, a Political Science professor at the University of Connecticut. “People debated whether black men should have the right to vote or whether white women should have the right to vote. The question about the franchise was posed in such a way that people were considering whether race should be accounted over gender in who would have access to the franchise, first.”

Fifty years passed before women gained the right to vote through the 19^th Amendment.

Nunnally says, “Black women also protested for this right, even though, because of their race, they were also discriminated against in discussions and protests in which they asserted their claims for the franchise. Even members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. participated in their first public act of social action by protesting in the mass, suffrage march on March 3, 1913 in Washington, D.C. in which they were forced to march at the back of the march, while white women were marching in front of them.”

By that time, racial violence and other tactics were being used to suppress the efforts of black men to vote. Many years passed and lives were lost as Black men and Black women sought to exercise their right to vote granted. The Voting Rights Act of 1965, borne of the marches and protests of The Civil Rights Movement, outlawed many of the discriminatory voting practices utilized in southern states to suppress the voice of Black Americans after the Civil War. It represented a major accomplishment for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the other courageous men and women who pushed President Lyndon B. Johnson to support the legislation.

Black Voting Rights in the 21^st Century

Yet, many are concerned about a lack of voter participation among Black Americans in the 21^st century.

“Since the 1960’s I believe that Black people have become largely complacent about exercising their rights and protesting. It takes a crisis to mobilize us,” says Matt Mixon, a former television executive who works with the voting outreach organization, Souls to the Polls. “We get comfortable, and we do not demand agenda items from the people we do elect, and we do not keep the pressure on them. I believe the Democratic Party takes us for granted largely and too many of us are apathetic.”

In Wisconsin where Mixon lives, he says “multiple organizations” are working to activate voters.

“I worked on this project in 2018, and we think we made a difference, but the job has gotten bigger if anything,” states Mixon.

Using his experience with media, Mixon “drags his camera around” to give voters an opportunity to voice their opinions. Some Wisconsin voters have protested the state’s plan to purge more than 209,000 voters from the rolls. They see it as an attempt to suppress the vote.

“It was frozen, put on pause by the state Appeals Court for the first two elections, but we still have to be on guard because the Republicans are trying to push this through,” Mixon explains. “Their main objective, I assume, is to try to help Donald Trump in November.”

Across the country, reports of voter suppression are increasing. And, Nunnally voices concern that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is vulnerable to judicial and legislative decisions.

“Today, this act is practically nullified, due to the Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder (2013) U.S. Supreme Court case, which found Section 4 of the act to be unconstitutional, and the U.S. Congress has not yet passed legislation to correct this unconstitutionality,” she adds.

For a group of Americans who have faced significant hurdles in their fight for the franchise, the future may involve more legal skirmishes, a dire reality unforeseen more than a century ago when passage of the 15^th Amendment suggested long-awaited and permanent electoral inclusion.

Black History

President Jimmy Carter Appointed the First Black Woman to Lead a Federal Agency

Published

3 months ago

January 9, 2025

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President Jimmy Carter advanced opportunities for African Americans throughout his life,
advocating for justice and peace consistent with the Christian values he embraced. Since his
death on December 29 at age 100, Mr. Carter’s praises have been sung from his home state of
Georgia to points around the globe. And while the former president’s one-term in the White
House is dismissed by some political pundits for a lack of policies or accomplishments that
changed the course of history, his character and integrity set him apart.

Carter became the first president to appoint a Black woman head of a federal agency. He chose
Patricia Roberts Harris to lead the Housing and Urban Development when he took office in
1977.

Harris said, “I feel deeply proud and grateful this President chose me to knock down this barrier, but also a little sad about being the ‘first Negro woman,’ because it implies we were not
considered before.”

Senator William Proxmire questioned Carter’s choice, saying Harris came from too much wealth and influence to be an effective leader. But Carter stood by his decision, and Harris stayed in the position for two years.

The 39th president’s name is also included on the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame.

Civil rights activist, Rev. Al Sharpton recalled a conversation he shared with Carter.

“It was very significant, I was talking there at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial, and I was talking to President Clinton and President Carter,” Sharpton recalled. “And when Clinton and I finished talking, President Carter touched me on my arm and said, ‘How are you doing with your ministry, Al? I see you out there with your activism. Don’t leave your ministry … keep your prayer life going.’ And you could tell he sincerely meant it. He was not one who talked about his religion as a political kind of something you could say to voters.”

President Joe Biden declared January 9, 2025, a national day of mourning. Millions watched the former president’s funeral on television as he was remembered as a man of honesty,
compassion and faith – which included championing the rights of Americans who knew firsthand the struggle of injustice

Black History

The Congressional Black Caucus Prepares for “Important” Work

Published

3 months ago

January 3, 2025

LoveBlackHistory

The Congressional Black Caucus started the 119th Congress with its largest membership. There were 62 members sworn in today.

“On behalf of the entire Congressional Black Caucus, congratulations to the members of the Executive Committee of the 119th Congress. 53 years after our Caucus’ founding, our work to improve the lives and conditions of Black people in America is more important than ever before,” said CBC President Steven Horsford.

Photo Credit: Ron Busby, U.S. Black Chambers Inc.

Black History

Formerly All-Black School in Arkansas Works to Restore Campus

Published

3 months ago

December 18, 2024

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In Arkansas a formerly all-Black school, Ouachita County Training School, has launched a national fundraising effort to restore the campus following its designation as a site on the National Register of Historic Places. One of the first corporate donations to OCTS, located in Bearden, Arkansas, came from the Katherine Anthony Foundation.

Anthony’s nephew, Steve, and CEO of Anthony Timberlands, presented a $10,000 check to the historic committee.

“We are happy to support the work of the Greater Bradley District Association and the Ouachita County Training School committee in their efforts to maintain the infrastructure and grounds of the training school, which is such an important part of the Bearden community,” Anthony said.

The National Park Service listed OCTS on the prestigious register in 2023.

“Since we received the news, we have been excited and motivated to raise the funds necessary to preserve this part of our history!” Virginia Ashley, committee president said. “We recognize the pivotal role OCTS played in educating several generations of young people who started right here and went on to contribute greatly to the Black middle class and the world.”

The gift of education

For education advocates, December holds a special place in American history. During the Christmas Season in 1952, the Supreme Court first heard arguments to eliminate segregation in the nation’s public schools. But, it took two more years before the Court issued its landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education, declaring segregation unconstitutional.

During the 1950s, OCTS educated Black students in the small southern town south of Little Rock, which became known internationally for The Little Rock Nine and their efforts to integrate Central High School. In Bearden, several Rosenwald Schools had consolidated to create the larger OCTS campus that educated students from the first through the 12^th grades.

“I have such wonderful memories of my days as a student at OCTS,” recalled Pearlie Newton, a retired educator and executive director of the OCTS historic committee. “My dad helped pour concrete at the campus, my husband and I met there and it was in one of the classrooms that my goal to become an educator took shape.”

Despite the Supreme Court’s 1954 decision eliminating “separate but equal” schools, OCTS remained segregated until 1971 when it merged with the white school district in the area. An association of Black Baptist churches known as the Greater Bradley District Association purchased the campus for use as its headquarters.

Pastor and Association Moderator, Verna Thompson, said, “We are excited about the renovation and look forward to holding our church services and meetings in a modernized facility that holds so much historic significance.”