On this day in 1965, people rejoiced as civil rights activists helped to pass the Voting Rights Act. The bill promised to protect the rights of minority voters throughout the country.
It was a significant moment that is recognized as one of the greatest accomplishments of the Civil Rights Movement. It's been 50 years since that historical day, and that sense of triumph has dwindled as those protections have been challenged.
In recent years, laws have been introduced around the country that have placed stricter requirements on voters -- most notably in North Carolina. Those states have effectively lessened voter participation by making it much harder for disenfranchised communities, many of them minorities, to participate in the process.
Those hindrances are what fuel organizations like Black & Brown People Vote, an initiative that strives to improve voter participation within communities of color. This week, which marks one year since the organization’s inception, BPBV has launched a campaign called Vision 2020 that addresses the voting challenges people in these communities face.
Here at HuffPost Black Voices, we are working with BPBV to get the word out. The video you see above is part of our new collaboration to raise awareness around the significance of voting.
“Vision 2020 [is] a a civic engagement project aimed at inviting future and disenfranchised voters to articulate what an equitable democracy would look like, and empower them to effectuate those visions through policy and activism,” Ifeoma Ike, co-founder of BPBV told HuffPost.
In working with BPBV, we hope to provide a platform that will not only encourage higher minority voter participation but also share the issues most important to them. To help us, we invited a series of civil rights advocates including Erica Garner, daughter of Eric Garner, Rosa Clemente, a 2008 Green Party Vice-Presidential Candidate and Ike to share their thoughts on the future of voting rights in America.
“This anniversary of the Voting Rights Act in 2015 needs to be more than just about the right to vote, but the right to voice and right to be valued,” Ike said. “We are less interested in talking points, and more in policies that prioritizes our lives, families and environments.”
It is important we recognize the historical impact of the VRA, but as we enter another presidential cycle and continue to push forward in our fight for equality, it's time to look ahead. We want to encourage candidates to adopt issues that matter to minority communities and listen to the constituents who often go unheard. While some are trying to silence these voices, HuffPost Black Voices and BPBV are working twice as hard to amplify them.
Black voter turnouts have boomed over the years, with 2012 marking the highest among Southern blacks (as shown in the graphic below). Also, there has been a significant increase in the number of black representation in both national and local offices. Still, these shouldn’t be the only markers for success -- and with the introduction of limitations to voting laws, it’s crucial we recognize the Voting Rights Act is now on life support.
To receive a more broad and accurate view on voting issues today, we encourage you watch the video above and check out the graphic below. There will be more coming as the 2016 election cycle continues… stay tuned.
Graphic by Alissa Scheller for The Huffington Post.