Tag Archives: voting rights

Woke is not enough

Posted on November 15, 2019 by Bennett Minton

The Reverend Dr. William Barber was in my neighborhood last night. For those who would like an introduction: Dr. Barber is the pastor of a North Carolina church and former head of the state NAACP. In 2014 he founded Repairers … Continue reading →

Posted in civil rights, Uncategorized, Voting | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Jim Crow makes a last stand in the Old Dominion

Posted on July 29, 2016 by Bennett Minton

“Don’t boo. Vote.” – President Obama at the Democratic Convention The struggle to do just that goes on, as illustrated by three recent court decisions. In two federal cases, appeals courts struck down voter ID laws in Texas and North … Continue reading →

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Donald Trump gives the GOP its comeuppance

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Bennett Minton

Upon signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Bill Moyers related decades later, President Johnson said, “I think we just delivered the South to the Republican Party for a long time to come.” It’s a popular story (though its truth … Continue reading →

Posted in civil rights, election campaign, gerrymandering, Uncategorized, Voting Rights Act | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Abraham Lincoln had it pretty good

Posted on February 15, 2016 by Bennett Minton

When our 16th president was inaugurated, seven of the 11 Confederate states had already walked. South Carolina’s secession resolution, like those of other rebellious states, was unambiguous that slavery was the cause: A geographical line has been drawn across the … Continue reading →

Posted in Abraham Lincoln, Congress, Supreme Court, U.S. Constitution, Uncategorized, Voting | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Model of consistency

Posted on January 13, 2016 by Bennett Minton

Consider the nation when Barack Obama first swore the oath: In the depths of an economic crisis, precipitated by our collective disregard of financial stewardship, that would eliminate 8.8 million jobs and wipe out $19.2 trillion in household wealth Regaining … Continue reading →

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Gerrymandering in Virginia: The legislature gets personal

Posted on August 19, 2015 by Bennett Minton

What happened in the Virginia General Assembly this week is a result of gerrymandering – the political process by which the political parties take care of themselves and ignore their constituents. The events – a state Supreme Court justice and … Continue reading →

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“Civil Death”: Florida’s Criminal Disenfranchisement

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Bennett Minton

The Honorable Rick Scott Tallahassee, Florida Dear Governor Scott: Belated congratulations on your reelection in November. I don’t write to every governor, but as a non-resident, property-tax-payer who spends about half the year in the Sunshine State (summers too – … Continue reading →

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Compulsory voting: Would it fix what ails us?

Posted on March 13, 2015 by Bennett Minton

With commemorations of Selma and the taking stock of how far we have come in extending voting rights, a question occurs: What would American democracy look like if voting were a requirement of citizenship? First, consider what American democracy looks … Continue reading →

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Three speeches and a bump on the road to a more perfect union

Posted on March 4, 2015 by Bennett Minton

In our journey toward a more perfect union, we have witnessed cycles of history since Abraham Lincoln delivered the greatest speech in American history 150 years ago. Two other speeches, 50 years ago this month, complete a cycle of that … Continue reading →

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