From Sacramento and Your Neighborhood
"We were beaten, tear gassed, and trampled by horses on that bridge. We paid a price, but that's what it took to bring voting rights for people of color in America."—The Honorable John Lewis, Democratic Congressman from Georgia.
In order to take part in our nation's democracy two hundred years ago, you had to be white, male and wealthy. Giving people of color and women the right to vote were hard fought battles that did not happen overnight. As we prepare for the November 8th Special Election next month, I would like to reflect on why our participation in the electoral process is crucial, and why we can't take it for granted any longer.
This year we celebrate two major milestones in the right to vote. Prior to the passage of the 19th Amendment, the right to vote was reserved for less than half the population—men. In particular, through disenfranchisement of men of color and poor men, only privileged white men took part in the voting process. Women were treated as the property of their fathers, and then of their husbands. Their voice in public matters was not heard and, when they did speak up through protests and civil actions, was belittled and ill-received. Prior to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the right to vote was systematically denied to almost all people of color—men and women—throughout the United States.
Due to the addition of Section 203 to our Constitution in 1975, language assistance was mandated for communities with large populations of limited-English speakers. When American citizens look to exercise their right to vote, it is of little use if they cannot understand the materials before them. In San Francisco, ballot materials are printed in many languages, and the ballot cards themselves are specifically printed in Chinese and Spanish along with English, to provide equal access to members of our community who may not be fluent in the English language.
Section 203 and other key provisions of the Voting Rights Act will be up for renewal next year in Congress. We must preserve these important provisions over the next year. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi will be leading the charge for their renewal and for a national discussion on the integrity of our electoral process.s
Thousands of courageous men and women fought for suffrage in America. People like Alice Paul, who refused to believe she was ahead of her time in demanding voting rights. Women had been campaigning for the right to vote since 1848. By 1917, Alice was frustrated with the slow progress of justice. She and others were sent to jail for their loud and constant protests, where she endured abuse in an attempt to silence her.
Other heroes include Bob Moses, who in the summer of 1964 helped organize 900 volunteers to protect African Americans in Mississippi from the violence they experienced when attempting to vote. He and others had spent the previous three years going door to door, enduring the southern racism and violence to help register African Americans to vote. Unfortunately, it was not until two white activists and an African American activist were killed that summer that the nation finally took notice of the injustice in the South. Alice Paul and Bob Moses and thousands like them are true American heroes.
If you or your family members and friends are not registered to vote, please contact the San Francisco Department of Elections at 415-554-7344, http://www.sfgov.org/site/election, or just stop by City Hall in person. We honor each of these American heroes simply by voting in every election.
Ultimately, we must remember the words of Congressman John Lewis who wisely states, "We cannot forget that people sacrificed and died for the right to vote. They didn't die in Vietnam or Iraq. They didn't die in South America or Eastern Europe. They didn't die in Africa or Southeast Asia, they died right here in the United States, trying to exercise their Constitutional right to vote."
To contact Assemblyman Mark Leno’s San Francisco District Office, and if you have questions about the upcoming election, feel free to call 415-557-3013 or e-mail him directly at Assemblymember.Leno@asm.ca.gov
For those joining in gay marriages today, the road from outlaw status to respectability was paved in the Legislature over three decades.
From decriminalizing sex between same-sex couples, to outlawing job discrimination against homosexuals, to adding gay members to the legislative roster, the government has been taking steps, measure-by-measure, that have led to gay couples joining hands in marriage ceremonies across the state.
