Some think voting doesn’t hold any value, but with over 500 Black people almost being killed over attempting to vote, it’s much more important than you think.
The successful yet tragic protest in 1965 known as “Bloody Sunday" took place in Selma, Alabama, and was led by some of the biggest civil rights activists in the world. But Marie Foster, a dental technician, was working on her own mission.
Before the march, Foster hosted a series of “citizenship classes.” Her mission was to teach Black people how to register to vote. At that time, the voting registration tests were intentionally over-tedious, hoping to keep Black people from voting.
Nicknamed the “Mother of the voting rights movement” Foster later helped organize the protest in Selma, which led to a nationwide voting rights bill. But that huge show of Black unity came at a cost.
Hundreds of innocent Black people, including Foster, were beaten for their efforts. The city knew that a strong Black representation in the voting system leads to change. Black votes are important not only because they can change local policies, but because we can control policy outcomes across the nation. Never believe your vote doesn’t count.