#30DayEducationChallenge Day 19: The Voting System

For the last day of our week on systemic racism, we're talking about voter suppression. We all heard what happened in Kentucky (ICYMI: the state cut the # of polling places from 3,700 to 200 and left ONE polling place for the district with the state's highest concentration of Black voters) this primary season and Georgia in the last election (ICYMI: the current governor does pretty much anything to eliminate democrat votes having the largest impact on Black voters), but this type of voter suppression is unfortunately not limited to these states. It's everywhere. We have learned the history of the fight for Black people to gain the right to vote, and the fight isn't over.

Gerrymandering, voter ID laws, voter purges, complex voter registration processes, polling place hours (because what hourly worker can take off a half day to wait in line?), restricting rights of individuals who have criminal backgrounds.. the list of policies that harm marginalized communities in the voting process goes on.

Today's a short assignment so we can spend some time reflecting on how we can make a change, or catching up on readings.

Today we're watching Carol Anderson talk to bae Trevor Noah about voter suppression. Anderson is the Charles Howard Candler Professor of African American Studies at Emory University and author of One Person, No Vote:  How Voter Suppression is Destroying Our Democracy, which was long-listed for the National Book Award and a finalist for the PEN/Galbraith Award in non-fiction.

🔗Links
Required:
📺How Voter Suppression Affects Black People | Unpack That (5 minutes)
📺 Carol Anderson on The Daily Show (11 minutes)

Supplemental assignments:
🎧Reveal: Who Gets to Vote? (screamed listening to this one)
📖"Voter Suppression is Still an Obstacle to a More Just America" Time
📺Fighting Voter Suppression | Joevahn Scott TEDx


Reflection Questions (discuss with your group, join the conversation on Instagram, journal)

1. What is something new you learned?
2. What is something that surprised you? 
3. What is something you can commit to in this election season to fight voter suppression?

If you just joined us, 👋🏼welcome! You can pick up today and follow this live through the end. After we finish Day 30, please start from the beginning and complete the first two weeks in order.