Your vote DOES matter; start exercising it
islative effort to scale back voting rights in a century.
My question, therefore, to cynical voters is this: If your vote doesn't matter, then why are some states trying to make it hard- er for people to exercise that right? These modern-day tactics may not rise to the level of Jim Crow, but they still raise seri- ous questions.
Andrea Zopp By Andrea L. Zopp D
uring election season, some people watch the debates, attend forums, track endorsements and follow the polls. Others show little to no interest in the races. If you fall in the latter category and think your vote doesn't matter, then I would like to put something on your mind. Monday, January 23 marked 48 years since the 24th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution was ratified to abolish the poll tax, a fee charged to vote in a national elec- tion. But the poll tax was just one of many tactics used to create barriers to voting in the Jim Crow South. Literacy tests, intimi- dation, even violence, were used to keep Blacks from voting. My grandfather, in fact, was denied the right to vote in Mississippi because he could not recite the Bill of Rights from memory.
What's more, this was still happening nearly a century after the 15th Amendment had been ratified in 1870 to prevent any state from denying a man the right to vote because of his race. Still, law-makers in states such as Mississippi, South Carolina and Louisiana, where Blacks were the clear majority at the time, found ways around the law. Today, voting rights are under fresh new attacks. More than a dozen states have passed laws or issued executive orders to limit the types of identification accepted at the polls; to cut short the early voting peri- od; to make it harder for ex-offenders to regain their voting rights, or to require proof of citizenship. Proposals are being considered in several other states that would require a photo ID. Marian Wright Edelman, a lifelong advocate for the disenfranchised and presi- dent of the Children's Defense Fund, described these new laws as the largest leg-
Changes to accepted forms of ID, for instance, could negatively impact voter turnout, particularly for college students and nursing home residents. Interestingly enough, seniors and students were a huge voting bloc for President Obama in 2008. One has to question this growing trend to alter ID rules in states such as Texas, South Carolina and Florida that have a history of throwing up barriers to voting. Upon clos- er examination and informed by history, we should challenge laws that restrict our right to vote rather than enhance, encour- age and create opportunities for citizens to exercise that right. Thankfully, such blatant tactics have not been attempted in Illinois. But this growing national trend to make changes should underscore to all eligible voters the critical importance of protecting and exercising the right to vote, perhaps the most fundamental right to American citizenship behind the pursuit of happiness. Passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a watershed moment in the Civil Rights Movement. We must not let it fall by the wayside. If you are already a registered voter who participates in both the primary and gener- al elections, then I'm preaching to the choir. So this message is for the congregants: If you are not registered to vote in the state of Illinois, there is still ample time to do so. February 20 is the last day to register for the primary election on March 20. Registration for the general election on November 6 will take place between March 21 and October 6.
If you or someone you know is not reg- istered to vote, I invite you to come to the Chicago Urban League to register. We have staff and volunteers available to register voters every weekday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. My grandfather, a proud citizen of the United States, was denied his constitution- al right to vote solely because of the color of his skin. Do not waste the privilege you have been given. Let nothing or no one stand in your way. Register to vote. Be at the polls on March 20 and November 6. Andrea L. Zopp is President and CEO of The Chicago Urban League.
Another Perspective
The power of the Black consumer “Red Tails”
By Dr. Leon D. Finney Jr. W
hen the African-American community heard George Lucas of “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” fame couldn't easily
get "Red Tails" financed because of the all-Black cast, they promised to support the film in droves. The film placed No. 2 in box office sales over the weekend reaching $19.1 million in ticket sales. But the real story is why Hollywood was reluctant to financial back a film with an all Black cast? One wonders why race matters in these post civil right movement years? Fortunately, Lucas decid- ed to use $60 million of his own money to finance the movie, and the Black community supported the film in great numbers. The success of “Red Tails” is a testament to Black consumer power.
According to Ken
Smikle, of Black Business Chicago, “The gross income of Black consumers nationally is approx- imately $913 billion and by 2012 the buying power will exceed $1 trillion annually.” Not bad for a people who were once slaves in these United States of America. Black Chicago specifically flexed its powerful consumer muscles taping into its $85 billion buying power to help push “Red Tails” over the top. Our Metropolitan Apostolic Community Church, joined with many other reli- gious, civic, educational and business organiza- tions to help fill the seats at local theatres throughout the nation. The Revs. Tim Lee and Georgette Greenlee Finney, chaperoned 50 youths to a Sunday afternoon treat of “Red Tails.” Agroup of our mature members planned an after- noon outing to see the film in memory of a former Tuskegee Airman and Metropolitan church mem- ber, Ludlow Werner and his wife Barbara Werner. Although “Red Tails” is a fictional tale, it is inspired by the true life experience of the Tuskegee Airmen (the all-Black 332nd Fighter Group of the United States Army who fought in World War II). During this period of our history, the Army was deeply segregated and subject to daily efforts by whites to deny the loyalty, mental capacity, courage and commitments of Black mil- itary personnel required to engage the enemies of America. To say the least, the movie revealed the deep racial scars on white America's personality when it comes to affording blacks full equality and citizenship in this country and the world. “Red Tails” helps Americans of all colors to understand the importance of the contributions that Blacks have and continue to make in the fur- therance of our democracy. Both on screen and real life, the Tuskegee Airmen exceeded the
Rev. Dr. Leon Finney
expectations of their white superiors. They dis- played heroic courage in the face of the enemy even though the country for which they were pre- pared to make the supreme sacrifice of life still would not accord men and women of their color the right to vote, attend schools with whites, live in mixed race neighborhoods and work in inte- grated places of employment. In short, the Tuskegee Airmen were fighting for a dream of an America which did not exist. Yet, they bravely fought making their effort a living testament to Black excellence in war and thereby helped to lay the foundation for the non-violent movement for justice, freedom and peace led by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It appears George Lucas saw something that Hollywood could not
see...the Black community had the capacity to turn “Red Tails” into a Black Liberation cause! While the end of American racism against Blacks is still a dream, the reality is that the Black consumer and political commu- nity is still alive and well. Let the box office sales success of “Red Tails” be a lesson to both Black and white, that there is still something called BLACK CONSUMER POWER AND BLACK POLITICAL POWER! Now run and tell that!
Chicago Defender •
ChicagoDefender.com • January 25-31, 2012 11
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