Even if you missed the State of the Union address a few nights ago when the president tried to convince Americans that he’s done a remarkable job since returning to the White House, just consider that a lot of his rhetoric was meant to ramp up voter support for the Republican Party as the midterm elections approach.
As voters prepare to study the candidates and later, to make their selections in the all-important midterms, control of both the House and Senate weigh in the balance. While the Republicans currently have the majority in Congress, the president knows that he could lose his rubber stamp of approval in November and his ability to do whatever comes to mind, if the Democrats regain control in either the House, which is more likely, or the Senate.
In other words, every vote counts – now more than ever.
Lest we forget, the original U.S. Constitution did not define voting rights for citizens, and until 1870, only white men were allowed to vote. In that critical year, the ratification of the 15th Amendment extended voting rights to men of all races.
Still, African Americans were denied the right to vote by state constitutions and laws, poll taxes, literacy tests, the “grandfather clause,” and outright intimidation. And so, African Americans kept pressing on.
The 24th Amendment (ratified in 1964) partly addressed the problems we faced by prohibiting the use of poll taxes in federal elections. And with the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the federal government secured voting rights for adult citizens of all races and genders in the form of federal laws that enforced the amendments.
But make no mistake, none of these advances came easily. Black Americans lost their homes, their jobs, and in some cases their lives, all in efforts to force America to live up to its lofty promises as detailed in the Constitution.
So, here we are. The midterms are fast approaching, and our ancestors are watching and waiting for us to follow their lead and to take control over our own destinies with one of the few weapons that remain in our possession–– the right to vote.
Staying at home because you don’t like the candidates or because you don’t know enough about the candidates is not an option. In fact, within the annals of Black history, it never was. We weighed the options and voted our conscience.
We must do so again and in record numbers.
We can be the change that we want to see in our communities, in our cities, and in our nation. Take care of your voting rights like they’re precious jewels.
Research the requirements for voting in the places in which you reside and do whatever it takes to register to vote.
Do your homework on the issues and candidates who will be on your local ballots. And then by all means vote. Vote like your future and the future of your children are at stake. And given the backlash against Black rights, Black-owned businesses, Black equality, Black voting rights, and Black history that has swept across America in recent years, our future is at stake.