This is one of the most moving stories I’ve read in a long time. Terrible that it was necessary, but awesome that they organized to do it.
Prairie View A&M students organized to protest the decision, because they felt it hindered their ability to vote. For background, Prairie View A&M is one of Texas’ historically Black universities. It has a very different demographic feel than the rest of the county. There has been a long history of dispute over what the students feel is disenfranchisement. There was a lot of outrage in 2006, when students felt they were unfairly denied the right to vote when their registrations somehow did not get processed.
February 20, 2008 at 6:34 pm
Wow. Thanks, Susan. How’d you find this? Feels like we’ve been down this road before, doesn’t it? I guess it’s because we have. I guess it is because “down this road” isn’t really before, but has never really ended, not yet. Lately, and Obama is only a small part of it, I think we can end it, can end racism, but we do have to face what a long way we have to go. I’ve been trying to explain to my daughter– without instilling the hopeless feelings that I carry sometimes, that for the first time ever in the US there is a real, a meaningful and serious candidate for president, who has brown skin, like she does and there is a real meaningful candidate for president of the US, who is female– like she and I and her other mother are. And then how do I explain that this is a big deal, that still we do all kinds of things to deny black and brown skinned people, the right to vote?
It means a great deal to me to have this blog in which to listen to you, Susan, and others, think about racism, and particularly think from the point of view as women and as mothers.
February 21, 2008 at 12:10 pm
I wandered over here a little while ago and I’m so glad I did because I’d been writing a post about this march and hadn’t been able to find the video of it. It really moved me to tears. I’m so glad these students are standing up for their right to vote.
February 21, 2008 at 8:40 pm
Laura, I found it on DailyKos, where I got when I need an immediate and enormous dose of political community. It’s full of stuff like that.
February 27, 2008 at 10:35 pm
I saw this video on msnbc this afternoon and I too am glad I found it. I was a college student in the 70’s and we protested and marched for voters rights, women rights, etc. It brings me to tears to see these young people ‘get’ that they have the power. I’m emailing the video to friends in florida.
Obama ‘08