Little John and the Chickens

Johnny was a strange little boy. Even his parents were a bit puzzled by him. He grew up in a small backwoods area where white people were almost never seen. This was the era of Apartheid and bullwhips in South Africa. He got “religion” at a young age and would preach to the hens in the henhouse as he tended to his chores. He stuttered while he spoke. He even disapproved of his father’s farm work because it was interfering with God’s plan.

As a young teen he was given an opportunity to learn with a church volunteer who was visiting the area. Although he stuttered and stammered; and most people, including his parents; thought that he was wasting his time; this woman saw something in the boy. She encouraged him to go further.

A few more years passed by and that woman became involved in legal difficulties. The laws of that time and place did not allow his people to learn to read and write. In many churches the local authorities allowed only 1 copy of the Bible. And, they actually came around to check.

With only 1 book it would be almost impossible to teach people to read. This restriction was one of the many factors which gave way to “lining”; a practice common to his people; whereby the Pastor would read, or sing a line; and then the congregation would repeat it.

When the authorities couldn’t stop the woman from teaching they closed the church and sent her to jail for “moonshining” after they found 1 bottle of beer. Then they confiscated the building, tore it down and sold the church property. Little Johnny, a teenager by this time, was affected greatly by this whole turn of events. And all the while the racial tension in South Africa grew ever worse.

You might say that these events informed the person who Johnny would ultimately become. You see, that little boy; Johnny; was John Lewis, future activist and Congressman. He can be seen in the above photo. He is the one being attacked by the dog on March 7^th, 1965 during the Selma-Montgomery march for the right to vote.

You see, all that befell Johnny took place; not in South Africa under Apartheid; but here at home in the United States of America. And the sacrifices made by Mr. Lewis and thousands of other brave men and ensured that later generations would have the right to be heard in the voting booth.

As for the woman; the one who was arrested and jailed for “moonshining”; that was Septima Clark, of the Highland Folk School. Now, fifty years later, the rights which these 2 fought for; in the form of the Voting Rights Act; are under attack by people who would have you believe that the need for these protections has passed. Don’t believe that for a second. The new battle for Civil Rights will not be about color. The new battle will be about economics.

John Lewis and the Voting Rights Act of 1964

There’s lots of talk about repealing the Voter’s Rights Amendment to the Constitution lately. The photograph above was what I saw in 1965, when I was barely 11 years old. In the foreground is future Congressman John Lewis being beaten by an Alabama State Trooper for daring to exercise his rights of peaceful protest and free speech. The Voting Rights Act of 1964 was brand new; and it was the law of the land; but the Southern states were dragging their feet on enforcement of it, which led to the Selma-Montgomery marches of March 1965.

The first march took place on what became known as “Bloody Sunday”, March 7^th, 1965, which is when the photograph above was taken; 45 years ago yesterday. The marchers were attempting a peaceful protest by marching from Selma to Montgomery; and the state capitol. But first, they would have to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge. This was; for some arbitrary reason on the part of the police; the line of demarcation which they could not allow the protesters to cross. To aid them in their cause they enlisted fire hoses, police dogs and tear gas; as well as billy clubs; to prevent the protesters from reaching their goal.

The initial march, on Sunday; by about 600 protesters  grew out of frustration over the inability of African-Americans to register and vote; as dictated by the 1964 law. The march was organized by the Dallas County Voter’s League and the SNCC, who both enlisted the help of Martin Luther King, Jr.

The second march grew out of the brutality of the police in preventing the protesters from crossing the bridge. That march was held the following Tuesday as 2,500 protesters turned out and forced their way across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, making their way to the other side before being turned back by a tidal wave of state and local police who were waiting.

It wasn't until March 16^th that the protesters  now stronger in numbers than ever; and backed by over 2,000 soldiers and federalized National Guardsmen, were able to begin the 40 mile march from Selma to the state capitol. At a rate of 10 miles per day, they arrived at their goal on March 24^th, where they were able to formally lodge their protest.

The move in the Congress and Senate today, which is based upon the assertion that the protection of the law is no longer needed to protect the rights of minority voters, is specious on its very face. It is nothing more than an attempt to turn back the clock in America. One of the more unusual aspects of this whole charade is the clamoring by the Right for the addition of the Voter ID requirement.

Democrats; who alleged widespread fraud in the 2000 election; are opposed to a National ID card of any type, including a Voter ID card. Republicans; who contend that there was no fraud in the 2000 election, and no problem in general; are adamantly for one. Neither side is consistent in its reasoning; therefore both positions are suspect.

Simply put, too many people have fought too hard and for too long to attain the Right to Vote for us to turn back the clock now. For us, as a nation, to return the sanctity of the voting process back to the Sates is an invitation to return again to the days when such a law was necessary, and people were beaten in the streets for asking for one.