When voting rights didn't protect all women

Summary

This video by Vox explores the historical challenges faced by black women in gaining voting rights in the United States. It begins at the dawn of the 19th century, highlighting key figures like Sojourner Truth and Ida B. Wells, who fought against racism and sexism. Despite the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920, which prohibited voting discrimination based on sex, black women continued to fight against systemic disenfranchisement, encountering challenges such as racial violence and voter suppression. The narrative emphasizes the long battle that led to the 1965 Voting Rights Act, illustrating the ongoing fight for equality and political influence.

Highlights

• The 15th and 19th Amendments were crucial yet flawed steps in the journey to equal voting rights. 💡
• Black women often faced exclusion and racism within mainstream suffrage movements. ✊🏿
• Persistent efforts by black women led to significant legislation like the Voting Rights Act of 1965. 📜
• Modern voter suppression laws echo historical challenges faced by women of color. 🔄
• Suffrage movements laid the groundwork for future political empowerment among African Americans. 🌱

Key Takeaways

• The 19th Amendment's passage in 1920 was a victory for white women but not the end of the battle for black women. 🎉
• Key black women activists included Sojourner Truth and Ida B. Wells, who fought against both racism and sexism. 🕊️
• Despite constitutional protections, many states continued to disenfranchise black voters through discriminatory practices. ⚖️
• The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a significant but hard-won victory due to ongoing efforts by black women and men. 🗳️
• Black women continue to fight for enfranchisement and political agency in modern times. 💪

Overview

The video traces the arduous journey of black women in the fight for voting rights, dating back to the early 1800s. Despite the progress made with the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote, black women were not automatically included in this victory. They continued to face significant barriers, including Jim Crow laws and other systemic forms of discrimination. Figures like Sojourner Truth and Ida B. Wells stood at the forefront, advocating tirelessly against these injustices.

While the 19th Amendment was a monumental achievement for women's suffrage, its impact was limited for many women of color. The narrative highlights how black women still had to contend with both racial and gender discrimination. It wasn't until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that substantial legal protections were finally established to safeguard their right to vote. The resilience and determination of African-American women played a crucial role in this milestone.

The story of black women and voting rights serves as a reminder of the intersectional struggle for equality and justice in America. The legacy of early suffragists is seen today as African-American women continue to break barriers in politics and advocate for broader social change. This fight for voting rights is part of a larger struggle for equality in all areas of life, from education to health care, showing the interconnected nature of social justice movements.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to Voting Rights of Black Women The chapter "Introduction to Voting Rights of Black Women" discusses the long and arduous journey of black women fighting for their voting rights. The narrative traces back to the early 19th century, highlighting how, from the outset, black women were engaged in developing a political philosophy that condemned both racism and sexism prevalent in American politics. The text emphasizes the constitutional importance of the 15th amendment, which was crucial because it made race an impermissible criterion in voting, a necessary condition for black women's enfranchisement. The chapter likely includes significant figures like Sojourner Truth who played pivotal roles in this struggle.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Key Figures in Black Women's Suffrage The chapter, titled 'Key Figures in Black Women's Suffrage,' highlights several prominent figures who played crucial roles in the suffrage movement for black women. It begins by mentioning Sojourner Truth, known as a former slave, anti-slavery activist, and women's rights activist. Another key figure is Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, recognized for her work as a poet and anti-slavery lecturer. The chapter also brings attention to Nannie Helen Burroughs and Ida B. Wells, noting that although Wells is not always associated with the suffrage movement, she was indeed a significant activist in the cause. Additionally, the chapter touches on the persistent issue of racism, indicating that black women often did not feel entirely welcomed within women's suffrage associations.
• 01:00 - 01:30: 19th Amendment and Its Limitations The discussion focuses on the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which granted women the right to vote. It highlights how this historic movement is often visually represented by images of parades and marches involving women, mostly white, dressed in Victorian-era clothing and carrying signs advocating for women's voting rights. The chapter particularly emphasizes the contributions of two key figures in the women's suffrage movement: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. These trailblazing women played a significant role in the fight for women's rights.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Challenges Faced by Black Women Post-19th Amendment The chapter discusses the aftermath of the ratification of the 19th Amendment in August 1920, specifically highlighting the experiences of black women. While the amendment granted American women the right to vote, black women faced significant challenges in exercising this right. The chapter underscores how, unlike white women who saw the amendment as the conclusion of their struggle for voting rights, for black women, it marked the start of an ongoing fight to overcome barriers and assert their right to vote.
• 02:00 - 02:30: Symbolism and Struggles for Equality The chapter titled 'Symbolism and Struggles for Equality' discusses the limitations of the 19th amendment concerning the enfranchisement of African-American women. Despite the amendment granting women the right to vote, it did not stop individual states from disenfranchising black voters. The narrative highlights the experience of African-American women during the first election after the amendment passed, where white women could vote, but they were still denied this right.
• 02:30 - 03:00: Efforts to Overcome Voting Barriers In this chapter titled 'Efforts to Overcome Voting Barriers,' individuals share their experiences of facing unjust barriers when trying to vote. They encountered a variety of excuses for being denied their right to vote, particularly targeting African Americans. The account includes a direct confrontation where a woman named Mrs. Simmons explicitly asks whether they are being denied the vote because they are Negroes, to which the shocking and heartbreaking response is 'yes, Negroes don’t vote in primary in Texas.' This highlights the racial discrimination prevalent at the time, despite the existence of the 19th Amendment, which should have protected their voting rights. The chapter underscores the struggle and emotional toll on those fighting for equal voting rights.
• 03:00 - 03:30: Federal Legislation and Voting Rights Act 1965 The chapter titled 'Federal Legislation and Voting Rights Act 1965' focuses on the ongoing struggle for political rights among American women, particularly highlighting the challenges faced by African-American women. It notes that while the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote, it did not guarantee voting rights for all women, specifically mentioning Chinese immigrant women, Native American women, and Mexican-American women who faced ambiguity in their voting rights. The chapter underscores the complexity and diversity of the fight for women's suffrage and political equality.
• 03:30 - 04:00: Importance of History and Modern Voting Challenges This chapter delves into the symbolic significance of voting rights for African-American women, emphasizing that the right to vote signifies their status as full and equal citizens of the United States. It highlights the challenges these women face, including racial violence, lynching, and access to polling stations, illustrating the broader struggle for civil rights and equality.
• 04:00 - 04:30: Legacy of the Suffrage Movement This chapter discusses the legacy of the suffrage movement, focusing on various inequalities including economic, housing, health, and educational disparities. It highlights the importance of voting as a tool to address these issues, allowing participation in juries and holding office. The chapter also emphasizes the ambitious agenda of Black women who see the vote as a means to advance their causes despite the challenges faced.

When voting rights didn't protect all women Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 [Music] for black women the story of voting rights is a long one very early on at the dawn of the 19th century they are already at work on a political philosophy that decries racism and sexism in american politics but constitutionally speaking it begins with the 15th amendment because black women also need race to be an impermissible criteria if they're to get to the polls sojourner
• 00:30 - 01:00 truth is a name people might know the former slave anti-slavery activist and women's rights activist francis ellen watkins harper poet anti-slavery lecturer we also have figures like nanny helen burrows id wells was another major activist that people don't necessarily associate with the suffrage movement but she absolutely was black women never find a very comfortable home in women's suffrage associations racism is always
• 01:00 - 01:30 present sometimes in very pronounced ways we have pictures of parades marches women dressed up in sort of late 19th early 20th century victorian gear hats large hats carrying signs about votes for women and most of these images are of white women the key figures are a remarkable duo of women elizabeth katie stanton and susan b anthony and those two women
• 01:30 - 02:00 will take us to the 19th amendment in august of 1920 the state of tennessee will by a mere one vote ratify the 19th amendment an amendment that prohibits the states from using sex as a criteria for voting and it will become part of the constitution and american women win the right to vote so for white woman it was the end of a long fight but for many black women it was just the beginning of an uphill battle to exercise those rights
• 02:00 - 02:30 african-american women are aware but really everyone is aware that nothing in the 19th amendment is going to prohibit individual states from continuing to disenfranchise black voters and so the first election that they had after the bill passed the white women were going to vote and we'd just step and went to vote and when we got on there well we couldn't vote
• 02:30 - 03:00 they gave us all different kind of excuses why we just stayed we stayed we asked we wanted to know why we couldn't vote and the answers to the questions were so invalid we were not satisfied so finally one woman mrs simmons said are you saying that we can't vote because we're negros and he said yes negroes don't vote in primary in texas so that just hurt our hearts real bad and so the 19th amendment even as we mark this
• 03:00 - 03:30 anniversary it leaves many many american women to continue the struggle for political rights including the vote and african-american women are one chapter or one facet of that story there's nothing in the 19th amendment that guarantees chinese immigrant women the vote there's nothing in the 19th amendment that guarantees to native american women the vote latinx women particularly mexican-american women also occupy an ambiguous place
• 03:30 - 04:00 in the story of voting rights for black women the right to vote is symbolic and that's not to diminish symbolism it's to say that the right to vote is a sign that they are full and equal citizens of the united states african-american women are facing the challenges of racial violence lynching and access to the polls african-american women are looking at a range
• 04:00 - 04:30 of inequalities economic inequalities housing inequalities health inequalities educational inequalities and access to the ballot is a lever in those struggles it is the gateway to sitting on juries it is the gateway to office holding black women have an agenda and it is an ambitious one and one that they hope the vote will help them further it wasn't easy
• 04:30 - 05:00 to try to get people to come out to go and try to register to vote because the first time that we went we had a circle around the courthouse of pickup trucks and rifles and white people getting ready to stop us only four people got in that whole day what did the white people have to fear from somebody blacks registering if they became a registered voter many of the blacks would seek positions
• 05:00 - 05:30 in the political field they would be out they would fight for justice if they were registered voters they would turn the city completely around and that is the reason why they did not want to see black people become registered voters what black women want in the wake of the 19th amendment is federal legislation that will now protect
• 05:30 - 06:00 their voting rights to impose on those states with a history of disenfranchising black voters an extra requirement and black women will wage a campaign that will take them all the way to 1965 and passage of the voting rights act in that year it's important to say that winning the voting rights act is a brutal brutal campaign black americans women and men put their lives on the
• 06:00 - 06:30 line in too many southern jurisdictions in order to force the hand of congress to force the hand of lyndon johnson to win voting rights legislation this is not an easy road for african-american women it is a harrowing road but it is indeed a victory one that black women had been looking for for nearly half a century [Music]
• 06:30 - 07:00 i know that my grandmother raised my mother that they always had to vote like it was something that she was born in my grandmother susie jones her portrait hangs on the wall and i am very accountable to her even as she passed many years ago people ask me why do we need to know this history today we live in an era of voter suppression laws that are neutral on their face voter id requirements or the purging of voter
• 07:00 - 07:30 rolls or the shuttering of polling places none of which announce that they are aimed at keeping voters of color women of color from the polls but when we look at those laws in practice we can recognize that like in 1920 in 2020 seemingly neutral laws are being used to disproportionately keep people of color away from the polls by running for political office and
• 07:30 - 08:00 affecting change on the ground in their communities and in their states so we now have black women running for governorships and we have a number of african-americans that we've seen has shaped elections so i think the idea of enfranchisement is also expanded to not just being able to vote but exercising political power and exercising political agency and i think that's the legacy of the suffrage movement to me these are not women who dropped out of the sky
• 08:00 - 08:30 these are women who come out of a political tradition and are building upon that and will tell you that if you ask them these women and the generations that followed worked to make democracy and opportunity real in the lives of all of us who followed you