African Americans and the Vote
Source: Brookings and ASALH Published: September 2019 Submitted by: BEN (Black Employee Network)
Source: Brookings and ASALH
Published: September 2019
Submitted by: BEN (Black Employee Network)
African Americans and the Vote
Circulated: February 05, 2020
February is Black History month and is celebrated in the US and Canada. In 2020, the theme of “the Vote” speaks to the ongoing struggle on the part of both Black men and Black women for the right to vote.
In 1870, the 15th Amendment to the US Constitution was passed, which prohibits the federal government and each state from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen’s “race, color, or previous condition of servitude”.
Fast-forward to 2012 and Black voter turnout for the US presidential election was actually higher than whites (66.6% compared to 64.1%).