An excerpt from the White People's Playbook Page on my website. More of my random thoughts you might find of interest.

The WPP narrative is that we don’t vote because we are leeches of government and just don’t care. But history tells a much different story. Led by freed men and women ex-slaves aligned with white allies in the south, to sweep Republicans into power. Just think about that for a moment. The civil war ended 5 years earlier and ex-slaves were exercising their right to vote. Most were illiterate but understood the power of the vote after being “free” for only 5 years. Let no one try to diminish our understanding of the power of the vote!

How did America react to our proving we understood more than we let on? Compromise legislation between the former Slave States and the federal government for votes freed up the South to terrorize free African Americans while they denied our right to vote. America turned its back and looked the other way.

We passed the first Civil Rights Act in 1957,  87 years after the 15th Amendment, allowing prosecution for those who violated the right to vote for United States citizens.

he assault on our right to vote continues and now it's approaching 150 years. Marinate on that. States like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina gerrymandered districts to restrict the voting impact of African Americans. They will do whatever it takes to keep people of color at arm’s length, including creating an illusion of voting fraud, gerrymandering districts, and whatever else it takes to make the voting process more restrictive. Nothing has changed for us with voting!

 So, the vision of democracy we black folks depend on and support is now supported by one leg. Democrats use us as bait in compromised legislation and we end up losing. Republicans continue to take away our voting rights.

America left us with a one-legged stool while they sat comfortably on a cushioned three-legged stool.