The Transformative Justice Coalition and the Voting Rights Alliance, in honor of Black History Month, are reviving the daily special series devoted to sharing the legacies and stories of the sheroes, heroes, and events in the fight for Black suffrage. This series was created in 2017 and added 4 NEW articles this year, and several newly revised, updated, or corrected ones. In addition to these daily newsletters all February long, this series also incorporates daily social media posts; an interactive calendar; and, website blog posts to spread the word broadly.
We encourage everyone to share this series to your networks and on social media under the hashtag #VRABlackHistory. You can also tweet us @TJC_DC to share your own facts.
Barbara Arnwine insisted that we could not have another year without publishing our Black History series! All month long, we have honored, recognized, and educated about a person, organization, or event, spanning over 5 centuries and told in chronological order, about those moments that forever changed the movement for African-American suffrage. The Transformative Justice Coalition thanks those who have been republishing our articles, on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, your websites, and even in the Tennessee Tribune. Over the 28 days of February 2022, these Black History emails were opened over 65,000 times, with over 600 individual clicks. You have responded to these emails with corrections, more information, asks to republish the series, and by expressing your thanks. We want to also extend our gratitude for your appreciation of the history this series shares.
This article is written by Caitlyn Cobb. All the sources are linked throughout the article with a full reference list at the end of the full article which can be read by clicking the button at the bottom of the page). This is an introductory summary page.
February 26th, 2022, we remember the 1918 flu, and the struggles and triumphs of suffragists as well as the massacres of Black voters during that time.
Author's Introduction
History is important. We have all heard the saying "those who do not learn from their history are doomed to repeat it". When we look at history, we must have respect for it and learn from those mistakes. And in an era where the U.S. is banning books that teach the reality of Black and Jewish history, we have to worry about repeating history. A mentor of mine who recently passed away, in the six months I knew him, caused me to have a paradigm shift - a fundamental change in approach or underlying assumptions- on my views of self care and my image of who I wanted to be. One paradigm shift he caused me to have is one I hope this article will instill in you too: it's not just about not repeating history; it's about changing so it won't occur again.
We often hear the definition of insanity is repeating the same things and expecting different results; but, then why does America consistently resist change, instead embracing the same structural racism it so desperately wants to distance itself from. But it is impossible for America to heal from its generational traumas if it doesn't discuss them; if we live in denial; if we consistently do the same things, yet are somehow surprised when we have the same results.
In an era where comments (comment # 6, March 23, 2021) are posted in forums that until the movie Watchmen came out, many had never heard of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre, things must change. In today's article, you will find many parallels from 100 years ago to today, from a pandemic to a war to a labor shortage and massacres of Black communities- and I will leave it up to you, reader, to decide if America is repeating the same mistakes. For America to dismantle structural racism, America has to decide to take accountability, process its trauma as a nation, and CHANGE.