Awakening a Sleeping Giant

Letters from an American vor 4 Monaten

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Letters from an American

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A newsletter about the history behind today's politics.

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May 16, 2026

May 17th is the anniversary of the Brown v Board of Education
decision declaring racial segregation in public schools to be
unconstitutional, Three years later, President Eisenhower
proposed the Civil Rights Act of 1957, Senate Majority Leader
Lyndon Johnson wrestled the Act through Congress, But efforts to
expand voter registration for Black Americans were stymied, even
after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, On March 7.
1965 after the shooting of Jimmie Lee Jackson, marchers set out
from Selma AL to the state capital at Montgomery to draw
attention to the struggle, they were stopped by the government.
The march was started again, and this time 25,000 people
completed their trip, The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed on
August 6, 1965, Yet the basic rights protected by the Act were
gutted on April 29, 2026 by the Supreme Court, Thousands,
including 18 members of Congress, traveled to Selma and
Montgomery today, to call for action to protect voting rights,
Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told an audience that those trying
to gerrymander their way into controlling Congress have awakened
a sleeping giant, as people come together knowing what it means
to the country to protect the vote.

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