Hey, it’s Jacquie Amos, Mike’s Outreach Director.

I’m writing to you again because I know that electing Mike Espy in just six days is the best way to move Mississippi forward. But as we work to build a better future, it’s just as important that we remember our past.

So let me tell you a story.

Throughout our country’s history, there have only been a total of 10 Black U.S. Senators. I’m proud to know that the first two Black U.S. Senators, Hiram Revels and Blanche K. Bruce, were from right here in Mississippi, shortly after the Civil War.

During Reconstruction, Black Mississippians had representation. In addition to two senators, Black Mississippians were elected up and down the ballot: Sheriffs, mayors, congressmen. In fact, between 1867 and 1876, 226 Black Mississippians held public office, compared to only 46 in Arkansas and 20 in Tennessee.

But Reconstruction ended. Then came Black Codes, Jim Crow, and other systems of oppression that make it difficult for Black Mississippians to vote and to be elected to statewide and national offices to this day.

Civil rights leaders across the country fought and died for our right to vote, like Vernon Dahmer, Fannie Lou Hamer, Medgar Evers, and Herbert Lee. Voting still isn’t always easy. In fact, over the last two decades, we’ve seen increased rampant voter suppression take the form of voter ID laws, closed polling places, and more, especially in communities of color.

But we vote anyway, because it’s how we can honor and remember those who fought before us, and the work that they did make our voices heard. Can we count on you to make your plan to vote today?

Our history shows the strength and resolve that the people of Mississippi have shown for decades — centuries. We can and should remember our past. The problem with Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith is that she seems to think we should go back to it.

Between saying that the Confederacy was “Mississippi at its best” and cracking jokes about public hangings and voter suppression, Cindy Hyde-Smith is holding Mississippi back.

And now, in just six days, we have a chance to make history again by voting her out.

That’s why I need you to create a plan to vote — right now. With so much change this year, we need you to confirm your polling location and hours, and figure out when you’ll have time to vote next Tuesday. Our grassroots movement is ready to make history on Tuesday, but we can’t do it without you. Will you make a plan to vote now?

It’s time to elect Mike Espy, make history, and move Mississippi forward. And with your help, I know we can do it.

Thanks,

Jacquie Amos
Outreach Director
Espy for Senate