READ THIS CAREFULLY.

Then remember it every time you think

About how you are going to VOTE.

Today is the day we commemorate the adoption of the 19^th Amendment to the Constitution in 1920.  This amendment prohibits the government from denying citizens of the United States the right to vote on the basis of their sex.  Representative Bella Abzug introduced the bill designating August 26 Women’s Equality Day as a symbol of the fight for equal rights and authorizing the President to issue an annual proclamation commemorating women’s suffrage and the 1970 Strike for Equality.

It has now been 101 years since women earned the right to vote but sadly, we have still yet to be granted equal rights under the Constitution.  Celebrate this day by telling your Representatives and Senators to remove the deadline they originally set for ratification of the ERA (H.J.RES> 17).  Three-fourths of the states have ratified the ERA.   It is time NOW! To make the ERA a part of our Constitution.  It is unconscionable that women still do not have equal rights in the United States.

In the same week last month we commemorated Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.  Those paying attention to these events thought of voting rights and Roe v. Wade but not necessarily as connected issues.  The following article in ESSENCE written by Malika Redmond helps you understand why the link between voting rights and reproductive rights are inextricable for Black women.

We should all echo Malika's words and make it our battle cry:  VOICE  AND  CHOICE.

For Black Women, The Fights For Roe v. Wade And Voting Rights Are Inextricable

ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE LANDMARK ROE V. WADE DECISION, MALIKA REDMOND, CO-FOUNDER & CEO OF WOMEN ENGAGED, DISCUSSES THE LINK BETWEEN VOTING RIGHTS AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS FOR BLACK WOMEN.

To honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s holiday, President Biden and Vice President Harris came to Atlanta with an agenda that prioritized speaking to Black voters on the campus of prominent HBCUs and The King Center, signaling the Administration’s commitment to upholding voting rights for the communities who made their victory and the shift in the balance of power in the U.S. Senate possible.

Black women led the efforts to create this historic change for political progress. As we consider the 49th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the threats to Black women’s rights—from the ballot box to our bodies—are grave. Georgia has taken center stage in both the fights for voting rights and reproductive rights.

We cannot look at these vital civil rights fights as separate crusades, rather we must see them as intertwined paths to justice.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is considered one of the most important pieces of civil rights legislation in our country’s history. One can argue that by opening the ability of the entire country to vote, we saw progressive breakthroughs in policy advancing economic mobility and equal opportunity. And less than a decade later came the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling on Roe v. Wade on January 22, 1973 giving women the right to access abortion legally all across the country.

But this right doesn’t mean everyone has access. Roe v. Wade ruling remains a promise that has not been fully realized for Black women. Both the Hyde and Helms Amendments set in motion the strategy of using legislation to weaken the power of Roe and deprive poor women (disproportionately women of color) access to abortion.

Roe v. Wade now sits in a precarious state as the Supreme Court upheld a six-week abortion ban in Texas and has agreed to hear a case on a Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. It’s no accident that the fragility of Roe v. Wade is most felt in the South, when we look at the number of aggressive anti-voting and hostile abortion measures that have advanced year after year.

When we limit access to the ballot box for Black women and other women of color, we leave an open pathway to elect more conservative, anti-choice legislators. The results are alarming.

In Georgia, reproductive autonomy for Black women is often first on the chopping block for elected leaders. Following Stacey Abrams’ 2018 loss for governor, a loss that most would argue happened because of voting suppression to silence Black voting voices, the first attack was on reproductive justice. Once in office, Govenor Brian Kemp signed into law the “Forced Pregnancy Bill” six-week abortion ban. Though the law was ultimately blocked by the courts, it demonstrates that such radical legislation is in reach. 

Now in the midst of a global pandemic, Georgia leaders continue to leave many people without access to healthcare by refusing to expand Medicaid as promised in the Affordable Care Act. For Black women, often caregivers in the home and working daily outside of the home, this has been particularly challenging along with the depressing high rates of maternal mortality in southern states with the most restrictive abortion laws, combined with even more limited access to care in rural communities.

As evidenced in writings by scholars Dorothy Roberts and Harriet Washington on the history of medical racism in the U.S. and the response by Black women in defining reproductive justice by Loretta Ross, Black women’s bodies have long been disenfranchised from high quality healthcare. Today, Black women are less likely to have health insurance or are under insured, are more likely to be denied coverage for abortion and struggle to access and afford birth control.

When women cannot have reproductive autonomy, their quality of life is forever restricted. More than 59 percent of women who get an abortion are already parents. If Black women are not afforded the right to choose and have control over their family planning, everything—from their education, health and economic stability—pays a price. Access to abortion care and comprehensive reproductive healthcare, can and has saved lives and reduced the number of maternal-related deaths, especially in Black women still navigating a racist healthcare system.

As we move into the election season of 2022, this formula of voting patterns and reproductive justice policies remains but with greater national impact. As we look at how local political maps are drawn and the emergence of “election crime” measures, the race to limit voters of color is in full swing. Federally, the peril for upholding the filibuster and a conservative majority in the Supreme Court are one in the same: stifling voices. Black women are threatened to be kept the most silent. What comes next are the dangerous actions from elected officials to control and harm Black women’s bodies.

These threats and disparities are real. But Black women have always been responding to save our own lives. Through the leadership of women of color, we see points of resilience. Just this week Atlanta’s city council unanimously passed a resolution to support Roe v. Wade after recently establishing a Reproductive Justice Commission. But we need everyone all in. Voters and policy leaders everywhere must commit to ensure a new legacy for generations of Black women in the South and across the nation. To uphold and honor Black women is to push for the change that allows our full voice and choice. 

Malika Redmond is the Cofounder and CEO of Women Engaged, a near decade old initiative that develops the civic leadership of Black women, femmes, and girls through year round non-partisan voter engagement opportunities and reproductive justice advocacy. Follow her on Twitter: @malikaredmond @womenengaged

 

As we prepare to begin a new year, how do you feel about your prospects and the state of our country?  As Senator Elizabeth Warren articulates where we have come from and where we are now, do you share her assessment?  Do you foresee our coming together and turning this country around or have you lost all hope we can do that?

I am cautiously hopeful but it will only be possible if enough of us standup, speak up, and follow the example of John Lewis - "make good trouble".  The radical right are betting you won't share in the work to be done i.e. check to make sure your registration is current, if not, register and vote; urge and help your family and friends to do the same; and, if at all possible, help campaigns to get out the vote.

When I say campaigns, I am talking about local, state and national.  The radical right currently controls a large number of local offices & state legislatures.  This is how they expect to get away with passing anti-voting rights legislation and gerrymandering re-districting.  There has never been a more important time for you to do your share - GET INVOLVED!

Here’s how you can help protect voting rights and democracy.

PUBLISHED: January 20, 2022 by the Brennan Center For Justice

The Senate last night voted no on changing its rules to allow the Freedom to Vote: John Lewis Act to proceed to a simple majority vote. Had the rule change passed, this critical voting rights legislation would have prevailed. President Biden would have signed it immediately.

The refusal to move forward on this vital piece of legislation was wrong. The threats to our democracy are very real — and growing. These present-day threats harken back to a time when our electoral systems denied Black, Latino, Asian, and Native Americans the right to participate fully in our democracy. Senators should have done their duty, bypassed Senate rules, and passed the Freedom to Vote: John Lewis Act to ensure free, fair, secure elections, and to end vote suppression and electoral sabotage.

But the fight isn’t over. We must continue to demand federal legislation to protect voting rights. And we must fight for our democracy in other ways as well. This setback is a reminder that we must stay vigilant to maintain our rights and that we all have a role to play in preserving our democracy. Here are some ways that you can help to protect voting rights and the fairness of our elections in the days, months, and years ahead.

Advocate for voting rights

• Continue to demand passage of the Freedom to Vote: John Lewis Act

  • Call or write your senator
  • Call or write President Joe Biden
  • Participate in a rally, march, or other public action

• Advocate at the state and local level against voter suppression, election sabotage, and redistricting abuse as well as for more resources for running elections

  • Call or write your state governor and your state representatives
  • Attend public redistricting hearings and provide comments (Some tips for effective comments are here)
  • Attend local election board meetings and provide comments
  • Use your social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) to make your voice heard, and write op-eds or letters to the editor of your local newspaper

Participate in administering elections

• Volunteer to serve as a poll worker
• Apply or run to serve as an election administrator or election worker
• Support election officials and other local officials who are doing their jobs honestly and coming under attack
• Volunteer to serve as an election observer — at the polls, during vote counting, and during post-election audits

Mobilize the vote

• Vote — in every local, state, and federal election in your community
• Help register voters in your community, school, church, or workplace
• Help mobilize voters to participate in elections
• If you are an educator, a parent, or are part of a school setting, set up a civic education program or day at the school to educate students about the election process
• If you are an employer, give employees paid time off to vote and to serve as poll workers and ensure customers are aware of elections. (More on what businesses can to do protect the election here)

Engage in political and issue campaigns

• Run for office
• Volunteer to work on political and issue campaigns
• Attend local city council or state legislative meetings
• Write to your state and federal representatives on issues you care about

Protect the vote

• Volunteer for a non-partisan Election Protection operation, helping voters navigate the election process and resolving problems
• Volunteer to provide physical or language assistance to voters who need help
• If you see something suspicious, say something: stand up for voters whose rights are being attacked through the proper authorities

Get involved in your community

• Volunteer to help people in need, including at soup kitchens, domestic violence shelters, churches, etc.
• Donate to organizations and programs that help people in need
• Help start such programs in your community

Welcome new citizens and community members

• Participate in a new citizenship ceremony
• Volunteer to register new citizens to vote

Support the truth

• Combat disinformation — and do not spread it. (Some tips on how to spot and respond to election disinformation are here)
• Subscribe to the local newspaper in your community

Editor's Note:

An earlier post entitled "Be Your Own Robo-Caller" gives you contact information and a guide to setting up your phone for quick and easy contact of your federal, state, and local elected officials.