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 articles this year. 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.

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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 a summary page.

Today we honor Paul Cuffe Sr, who, by way of petitions, civil disobedience, and working within the system, helped pave the way for Black (and Native American) men in Massachusetts to be able to vote.

It was during the Revolution Era, when Cuffe was in his 20’s, that he began his life of activism. 

“In 1780, both local and state legislation levied heavy taxes against land owned by African Americans, including Cuffe's family farm on Cuttyhunk.”

He petitioned the government to either give Blacks and Native Americans the right to vote or cease to tax them, throwing the new America’s own logic back at them: “if England had no right to tax the colonies without representation, what right did America have to tax citizens who were not allowed to vote?”

His petition was simple, but powerful.