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Seventy-nine years ago on this date, July 18, Maceo Snipes was lynched for casting a vote. The day before was a Primary Election Day, and he’d been the only Black person who voted in Taylor County, Georgia — after a federal court had outlawed the state’s rule barring nonwhite voters from participating in primaries. One day later, Snipes was shot and mortally wounded by a group of white men alleged to be part of the Ku Klux Klan. The shooter claimed self-defense, and the FBI ultimately closed the case — determining the killing was not related to Snipes exercising his right to vote. Maceo Snipes never got the justice he deserved, but his legacy carries through the work you and I do every day to bolster the right to vote and advance fair representation in states across the country. As anti-democracy forces seek to eliminate Black opportunity districts and dilute the voting power of communities of color, we draw inspiration from voting rights pioneers like Maceo Snipes. We honor their courage and sacrifice with our own commitment to advance fair representation. We challenge manipulated maps. We fight for pro-democracy leaders and judges. We mobilize wherever threats to democracy arise — and we never stop fighting. I hope you’ll keep Maceo Snipes in your heart today, and continue to summon the courage needed to stop the ceaseless attacks on our fundamental voting rights. In solidarity, Marina Jenkins
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