Why The Voting Rights Act Of 1965 Was/Is Necessary...A couple of days ago, I wrote a piece about the recent U.S. Supreme Court Decision to strike down a key provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Section Five of the law mandated that the Federal Government would have to approve any change to Voter Laws in nine U.S. States that had a history of racial discrimination. Prior to the passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Individual states were free to institute laws and policies that would keep the right to vote solely in the hands of a privileged few. Be it Poll Taxes, Tests requiring citizens to write essays in regard to specific sections of their State Constitution, or outright violence-keeping the power to dictate the Political, Social, & Economic Policies of the State would have to be kept out of the hands of People of Color. In the end, it's all about POWER. Then & Now. Many of the same conditions exist now. Many of the same tactics remain in use. Many of these same states attempted to put voter restriction laws on the books, while grassroots contemporaries drummed up hysteria & paranoia about alleged voter fraud running rampant among Blacks & Latinos. Many of these laws were blocked by the courts, prior to the 2012 elections; but predictably some of these same laws were re-instituted within 24 hours of the Supreme Courts decision to put the power of deciding voting laws back in the category of State's Rights. Texas, Mississippi & Alabama immediately announced that provisions, previously outlawed by the courts, to restrict access to the vote would indeed go into effect. That same day, the state of North Carolina pushed forward a bill that will limit early Voting & Same Day Registration. Without A Proper Understanding Of Our Past, We Will Be Doomed To Fall Victim To The Future...
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