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"Inclusion is not a matter of political correctness; it is the key to growth. " Jesse Jackson
This presidential campaign season's public policy debates have resurfaced and relitigated almost a hundred years of debate about inclusion. Who can vote? Who has unfettered rights? What is the role of the government at all levels to include women, naturalized citizens, the formerly incarcerated, and, of course, black people? The contraction of civil rights fought for and gained during the second half of the 20th century has shredded the constitutional rights of too many citizens.
The Repression we've witnessed over the last 8 to 12 years is really the culmination of actions taken slowly and consistently. Mass incarceration fueled exclusion. Black and brown citizens receive harsher and longer sentences than their white counterparts for similar crimes. They also lose their civil rights.
If you have a felony conviction on your record for which you have served your time, your rights may not be automatically restored. Check out the number of federal and state programs that have come into being to assist men and women in regaining basic human dignity; housing, employment, and education top the list, along with voting rights. A decades-old criminal record can negatively impact your life. One of the ways it can is by eliminating your constitutional right to own a gun.
While many states have some restrictions on felony voting rights, most states restore citizens' right to vote after they complete their sentences. In fact, up to 18 million Americans with past convictions can vote RIGHT NOW – they just don't know it – because the felony convictions disenfranchisement laws in every state can be confusing.
The Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law released a report stating that in 2021, 14 states had enacted 22 laws restricting voting access, making it more difficult for Americans to vote. According to the report, "the United States is on track to far exceed its most recent period of significant voter suppression," which was in 2011 when 14 states enacted 19 restrictive voting laws by rolling back laws that led to inclusion.
The 2011 restrictive laws were enacted after the 2010 elections brought a shift in political control over statehouses — and as the country confronted backlash to the election of its first Black president. Remember how a group of elected officials called a special meeting during Obama's inauguration to ensure he would be a one-time president? Their scheme did not achieve its intended outcomes yet set the standard for other repressive laws.
Today's attacks on the vote come from similar sources: the racist voter fraud allegations behind the Big Lie and a desire to prevent future elections from achieving the historic turnout seen in 2020.
As the COVID-19 pandemic caused an increase in mail-in voting, some of the new laws make it more difficult to vote by mail. Other laws limit early voting and drop boxes, reduce poll locations, and provide more power to partisan poll watchers. Arizona, Florida, Georgia, and Texas are among the 14 states that have passed restrictive voting laws.
Democrats and civil rights activists express concern over the new laws, explaining that the laws aim to disenfranchise voters, specifically minority voters. The Brennan Center's report asserted that "Americans' access to the vote is in unprecedented peril."
Many laws seek to make it harder to vote by mail after a surge in mail balloting due to the coronavirus pandemic. Others restrict early voting and limit drop boxes, such as when the US Post Office systematically removed drop boxes in specific communities during the 2020 election, eliminated poll locations, and gave in-person poll watchers more.
Take an active interest in all elections. Know who's running in your local elections and what policies they are promoting. Boards of Education. Municipal governments. County Boards. They are consequential.
Pay attention to how often your elected officials ENGAGE with you outside of election season. Showing up for an organizational dinner meeting and sitting at the head table is minimal effort. Do they host meetings in your neighborhood? Do they bring significant infrastructure or educational grants to the areas of town where you reside and your children attend school? Demanding more from your elected officials and holding them accountable is real inclusion.
Joyce A. Brown is a motivational speaker and author who uses her creative energy to give voice and meaning to the challenges women face in all walks of life. She grew up in Rockford, Illinois, in a household of strong women, but her professional career expanded her reach into Peoria and Battle Creek, Michigan. She is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and has served as a direct services worker, executive director, program director for a major foundation, and entrepreneur. Joyce has experienced many uplifting moments as a professional and as a dedicated parent and strives to bring those events and lessons to life through her characters in the contemporary fiction novels she pens. Visit her Author’s Page
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