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If you were living in Alabama in the early 1960s and wanted to vote, you first had to answer some very difficult questions. friend, If you were living in Alabama in the early 1960s and wanted to vote, you first had to answer some very difficult questions. At least if you were Black, you did. You can see for yourself how challenging these questions are by taking this sample test. Before you could even register to vote, you had to pass a “literacy test,” which typically included many questions about the law and government, and was administered and evaluated by a white elections official. While white applicants always seemed to get the easiest questions, or perhaps even none, Black applicants got the hardest. When a Duke professor sent four questions from an Alabama literacy test to every constitutional law professor in the country in 1965 and asked for their impromptu answers, 70 percent of the responses were wrong. Literacy tests were one of the most effective ways the white power structure in Alabama and across the Deep South kept Black Americans from voting. Today, the SPLC is leading the fight against a new wave of modern Jim Crow laws. Please make a special gift today to help the SPLC defend voting rights and fight white supremacy. When the Voting Rights Act of 1965 passed, it ended moral and legal atrocities like literacy tests, poll taxes and property ownership requirements, and, for nearly 50 years, stood as a crowning achievement of American democracy. But in 2013, the Supreme Court issued a 5-4 decision to overturn critical provisions of the Voting Rights Act, paving the way for states to enact a new wave of voter suppression laws. Today, in the Deep South, conservative legislators in power work overtime to disenfranchise voters, making it harder for Black and Brown people to elect candidates of their choice. They are imposing harsh voter identification laws, requiring returning citizens to pay all legal fees before registering, restricting alternative voting methods — particularly voting by mail — that have historically expanded access to the ballot and reducing or even eliminating the availability of drop boxes. And with all that is at stake, we must stand up in the face of injustice and fight back against the racist systems that continue harming our communities. In response to the increased attacks on our democracy, we are working to defend voting rights on three fronts:
We cannot afford to go back to the dangers of 1960s-style literacy tests, poll taxes and other barriers designed to keep Black and Brown people out of the voting booth. That’s why we are asking for you to support the SPLC’s bold Voting Rights Action Plan by making a generous contribution today. When you donate, you invest in fighting white supremacy and continuing the vital work that builds civic power for Black and Brown communities fighting for equitable access to the ballot box. This is not the America civil rights leaders like John Lewis, Dr. Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and so many others fought so hard to create. And it’s not the America anyone who shares their commitment to justice and equality will ever accept. Thank you for your commitment to defending the rights of all Americans to participate in our democracy. Sincerely, Your friends at the Southern Poverty Law Center |
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