Black History: Focus Moments
#VRABlackHistory
For the 4th year in a row, the Transformative Justice Coalition and the Voting Rights Alliance, in honor of Black History Month, are publishing a daily special series devoted to sharing the legacies and stories of the sheroes, heroes, and events in the fight for Black suffrage. This series incorporates social media posts, daily newsletters, and website blog posts to spread the word broadly.
In addition to 11 NEW articles this year, the series is starting off its first 7 days with stories of Black women involved in the Women’s Suffrage Movement in honor of the 100th Year Anniversary of the 19th Amendment, even though many African American women were not able to vote until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
We encourage everyone to share this series to your networks and on social media under the hashtag #VRABlackHistory. You can also tweet us @VRAmatters to share your own facts.
February 14, 2017- George H. White (1852-1918) #VRABlackHistory
Today, February 14, 2017, we honor George H. White, who was a lawyer and the last of the Black Reconstruction Congressmen, departing in 1901.What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than to honor a man who passionately loved the law, his country, and his race?
February 12, 2017- The Fifteenth Amendment (1870)
Today, February 12, 2017, we honor the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which outlaws discrimination in voting rights on the basis of race, color, and previous condition of servitude; thereby advancing suffrage for African Americans (although only men could vote at that time).
February 11, 2017- The Reconstruction Congress of 1867 #VRABlackHistory
. Today we honor The Reconstruction Congress of 1867, which passed several measures to promote the Black franchise:
1. The District of Columbia Suffrage Bill;
2. The Territorial Suffrage Act; and,
3. The Reconstruction Acts of 1867.
February 10, 2017- Anna Julia Cooper (1858-1964) #VRABlackHistory
Today, February 10, 2017, we honor Anna Julia Cooper, who was an American educator, writer, and scholar remembered for her pioneering crusade for the upliftment of African-American women.
February, 9 2017- Mary Ann Shadd Cary (1823-1893) #VRABlackHistory
Today, February 9, 2017, we honor Mary Ann Shadd Cary, who was an African-American teacher, journalist, lawyer, and suffragist.
February 7, 2017- Frederick Douglas (1818-1895) #VRABlackHistory
Toda, Febraury 7, 2017, we honor Frederick Douglass. What would a series dedicated to those who advanced Black suffrage be without mention of Frederick Douglass, the man who advocated for suffrage for ALL African Americans, regardless of gender?
February 6, 2017- Robert Purvis (1810-1898) #VRABlackHistory
Today, February 6, 2017, we honor Robert Purvis, a Black man who lost his voting rights in the early 1800’s in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On March 14, 1838, Purvis submitted a petition to fight for his and 40,000 other Black Philadelphians’ voting rights in response to a new state constitutional amendment that restricted suffrage to only White men.
February 2, 2017- Prince Hall (1735-1807) #VRABlackHistory
Today we honor Prince Hall of Boston, who was not only a registered voter of his day, but a staunch abolitionist and civil rights activist who used the power of petitions to effectively petition the government to gain rights for Blacks.
Phone
(202) 602-7080
VISIT
8am to 5pm
Mon–Sat
Transformative Justice Coalition
info@votingrightsalliance.org
Address
1150 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington, DC 20036