16th Street Church Bombing

[gwydion]

I know I'm two days late, but let's take a moment to remember the 49th anniversary of the murder of four girls in Alabama by white supremacist domestic terrorists in the bombing of a church in Birmingham, Alabama. Addie Mae Collins (age 14), Denise McNair (age 11), Carole Robertson (age 14), and Cynthia Wesley (age 14) all died and another 22 people were wounded because white people didn't want to share. They didn't want integrated schools or businesses or for people who looked like those girls to have the right to vote.

It's a presidential election year and as I type this Tea bagger members of "True the Vote" are organizing to physically and verbally intimidate black and brown voters at the polls in November, because they don't think people of colour should be allowed to vote. Republican party agrees with them and is using tactics like voter suppression laws, illegal voter purges, and ending weekend and early voting to roll back those rights so many people were literally injured and died for. In two states, Republicans tried (and luckily failed0 to pass laws allowing white people to shoot anyone they see voting who they don't think have a right too. I'm not talking officially question, I'm talking random citizens legally allowed to kill US citizens for voting if their skins are the wrong colour. In a year wen Republicans are trying hard and partially succeeding at rolling civil rights backward, I think it's incredibly important to remember the names and faces of those who died for the rights they are taking away. Let's not go back to those terrible times. Let's make sure as many people as possible can and do get a chance to exercise their rights in November, and do it in remembrance of those who died directly and indirectly as part of that struggle.

Comments

[deepseasiren.livejournal.com]

Oh Jim Crow is still alive and well in voting these days as well. They cut across voting lines and then make up these dumb laws like you have to have ID and you can't be a felon and we KNOW that a disproportionate number of Blacks and Latinos have records and more than caucasians do not have ID's. So there's a great way to get rid of 'their vote'.

[gwyd.livejournal.com]

A lot of people are calling it the new Jim Crow.

[deepseasiren.livejournal.com]

And rightfully so!