At this point there are nine states with active legislation towards the end of felony disenfranchisement in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Kentucky, Missouri, New Mexico, Washington and California. In this piece I want to shine a light on the West coast, which is supposedly known as a more ‘liberal’ area of the […]
In yesterday’s article we went over the conditions of voting for former slaves during the 19th century and how voting rights evolved over time in legislation and in practice. As people began to communicate around the barriers restricting their voting rights they became more equipped to organize in the interest of dismantling those barriers. This […]
Black people have exponentially grown as a demographic in the states since our kidnapping. Our population broke a million by the 19th century and continued to increase rapidly to 30 million by the 20th century. While our numbers, and contribution (labor, taxes, etc.) to the United States has grown, unfortunately our influence politically has failed […]
In 2016 the Ballots of Bars campaign began as an effort to raise awareness about criminal disenfranchisement in Massachusetts, in collaboration with two incarcerated people and the Emancipation Initiative. Incarcerated activists have identified criminal disenfranchisement as one of the most significant injustices that they face. Incarcerated people have been fighting for their voting rights in Massachusetts for more than 40 years. […]