Why Voting Matters
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
—15th Amendment
Representative John Lewis encouraged his constituents to vote. His message, however, is appropriate for all U.S. citizens. When citizens vote, democracy is protected, is more representative and, therefore, is more alive. Public schools teach students the characteristics of good citizenship: civility and respect, trustworthiness and fairness, cooperation, and voicing opinions in positive ways. Good citizenship requires individuals to become informed, active voters. This is not just a fundamental right but a civic responsibility.
Who can vote in our country? Well, it is a long story: Continue reading “Why Voting Matters”
Say Their Names
Say their names: Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley.
On September 15, 1963 four Black girls were murdered at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. I was 13 years old; and I was horrified by the tragedy. The pictures of the girls and the blast still remain embedded in my brain. My response to the shocking murders was personal because I found many similarities between me and Addie Mae, Denise, Carole, and Cynthia.
We were young girls who had sisters. I shared a name with Carole. We sang in the choir at church. We went into the bathroom and fussed with our hair before church. We all went to school and had homework. I wondered whether we listened to and enjoyed the same music on the radio—“Heat Wave” and “Big Girls Don’t Cry.” There seemed to be so many similarities, but our skin color difference was immeasurable.
As I wrote my book, Dr. King, The Rabbi, and Me: A Connecticut Journey, I learned so much about how those differences permeate my perspectives and my writing. Initially, as I detailed the events of that day, I wrote the four girls were “killed.” My editor corrected me. Say the words, she said: They were murdered.
Say their names: George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Ahmaud Arbery. Say the words. They. Were. Murdered.