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Lifting Our Voice: �Celebrating the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Caldwell Presbyterian Church

January 15, 2022

Part presentation, part performance, part discussion!

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We Open in Prayer and Song

“And what does the Lord require of you?�To act justly and to love mercy�    and to walk humbly with your God.”

(Micah 6:8)

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MLK and the 1965 Voting Rights Act

  • 15th Amendment, passed in 1870: ““The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
  • But White-led state and local governments prevented Black and Brown people from voting through various means: the grandfather clause – you could only vote if your grandfather had been able to vote… which prevented descendants of slaves from voting; this is ruled unconstitutional in 1915, but new/various ways to limit the vote continue to be utilized: literacy tests, poll taxes, Whites denied Blacks the vote based on “incorrectly” filled out applications, parties could limit their primaries to only Whites, White officials told Blacks they came to vote on the wrong date, Whites harassed and assaulted Blacks who tried to register to vote.
  • MLK, Jr’s “Ballot Box” speech, given in 1957 at a rally in DC (0-8:30) :
  • Thoughts/responses?

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MLK and the 1965 Voting Rights Act

  • In 1965, Martin Luther King, Jr continued to press for Voting Rights legislation to be passed; the Selma to Montgomery march in March of that year protested the disenfranchisement of Black voters; for example, at that time in Selma, only 2% of eligible Blacks were registered to vote. The televised (and other) violence drew attention nation-wide to the issue.
  • The Voting Rights Act was passed in August of 1965; it prohibited polling taxes, literacy tests, and other ways of regulating the vote (and thus excluding voters); it also gave the federal government oversight of voting practices in certain states/areas.
  • Black voter registration skyrocketed as a result. Civic participation for Blacks was institutionalized, in at least one way.
  • Song of freedom: Lead With Love

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind; to set free the oppressed and announce that the time has come when the Lord will save his people.”

(Luke 4:18-19)

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1965 VRA Undermined �… and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act

  • In recent years, the 1965 Voting Rights Act has been undermined—in particular, a court case in 2013, Shelby County vs Holder, “gutted” the act, by saying that (in general) there was no longer any need for federal oversight of states’ voting laws—for “pre-clearance” of proposed practices.
  • Consequently, states have proceeded to pass a variety of regulations around voting—regulations, or voter suppression laws, depending on your perspective.
  • These regulations limit voting access by requiring ID, limiting time for early voting, limiting mail-in voting options, gerrymandering districts for desired outcomes, purging voters from rolls, etc.
  • The John Lewis Voting Rights Act would restore protections for voting—it would re-institute the need for pre-clearance of policies related to voting—both for states/areas that had to have pre-clearance before, and for certain practices, for instance, strict voter id requirements (ie any state that wants to implement strict voter id requirements would have to get pre-clearance).
  • The bill was originally introduced in the House of Representatives in 2019 and was passed in 2021. The hold-up is in the Senate. NOTE: the John Lewis Voting Rights Act has just been combined with the Freedom to Vote Act; the new act, the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act just passed the House of Representatives (again) this past Thursday, and again will need to go to the Senate.
  • Opponents feel it is unnecessary (people should be able to manage within voting parameters/restrictions) and/or point to other practices/institutions that need reform more (like the electoral college).

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MLK, Jr reminds us that we are called as Christians to act:

  • We go back now to Dr. King’s Ballot Box speech, to the end. After he calls for the right to vote, the part we heard earlier, he calls on various groups to lead the way, including the federal government, White northern liberals, White southern moderates, and the Black community.
  • He then ends on a note of hope, based in his and our Christian faith. From MLK, Jr’s “Ballot Box” speech, given in 1957 at a rally in DC (17:24ff):
  • Thoughts/responses?
  • Song of freedom: Make Good Trouble

“I, the Lord, command you to do what is just and right. Protect the person who is being cheated from the one who is cheating him.”

(Jeremiah 22:3)

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Impact

  • Voting rights are on our mind right now, but as we all know, we face other areas of inequities, including health care.
  • We hear now a song, “Hymn for Health Justice,” adapted/composed by our own Zach Thomas, based on a song by Richard Campbell and sung by Caldwell members and friends, including Richard Campbell, Randy Hood, Ruby Jones, Jessica McQuillen, Gwen Pearson, her sisters Emma Hensen and Betty Cureton, and Zach Thomas.
  • Just a reminder: those we vote for determine policies concerning health care!

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Take Action—Lift Your Voice!

  • Contact Your Senator!!
  • Sample/template:

Dear Senator, 

As a person of faith and conscience, I ask that you to act quickly to pass the Freedom to Vote: John Lewis Voting Rights Act. This bill ascribes to one of the most basic principles of many faith traditions—that we must value the voices of everyone in our communities, not just the most powerful.

The threats to our democracy and environment have never been greater, but we cannot tackle them with new barriers to voting being put up all the time. 

Our democracy is sacred, and voting is a sacred act. For our communities and our democracy, I ask that you pass the Freedom to Vote: John Lewis Voting Rights Act.

Sincerely, (your name)

[template from the Interfaith Power and Light organization]

  • Websites for burr.senate.gov and tillis.senate.gov have email contact information for both NC senators.

“The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me--practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

(Philippians 4:9)

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Sources

Many thanks also to those who helped or offered to help put this presentation together – including Jeff Mitchiner, Felicia Pine, Jean Patterson, Zach Thomas (and singers!), Diane Mowrey, Jeannette Hickman, and our Caldwell pastors – and to coordinate and volunteer at Habitat Restore today – including Woody Connette, Connie Helms, Lynn Watson, Robbi Wall, and Missy and Scott Banks.

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