There are only a few weeks until Election Day, and early voting has already begun in some states. Voting is a right and a privilege that, unfortunately, many take for granted. Across the world and throughout history, people have died for the right to have a vote, to have a voice. October’s Justice+Art selections remind us that the right to vote is, in the words of Congressman John Lewis, “precious, almost sacred.”
Our future depends on understanding our history. Literacy tests, lynchings, voter roll purges, voter ID requirements. This is our history. Vigilance, poll monitors, litigation, advocacy, VOTING. This is how we fight back. This is how we secure our future.
Music
The O’Jays: “Give the People What They Want”
It’s been almost 50 years since this legendary R&B trio sang about giving the people what they want: better education, better food, better housing, equality, understanding, and freedom. Although we have made strides, there is still much work to do. Project 2025, the latest attempt to constrain women’s rights and disenfranchise large segments of American society, is definitely not what the people want or need.
For O’Jays fans, the group is currently making their final farewell tour, The Last Stop on the Love Train.
Art
Taylor Sanders is a Louisville, Kentucky-based artist, educator, and president of The Care Project, a community organization dedicated to giving back to local neighborhoods. Her work integrates three-dimensional objects with multiple sculptural techniques to address relevant topics in history and today’s society.
In “Guessing Game,” Sanders highlights the barriers that Black voters in the South faced for years. Under Jim Crow, Black voters often had to pass nearly impossible literacy or other tests, such as accurately guessing the number of jelly beans in a jar, in order to vote. We may not be facing jelly bean-counting tests anymore, but voter suppression is still very real and very effective.
Pictured here: Guessing Game, 2020, Taylor Sanders, installation, mixed media. More about the work.
Film
As we prepare to cast ballots (through early voting, by mail, or in-person), watch Dawn Porter’s 2020 intimate account of U.S. Rep. John Lewis’ life, legacy, and more than 60 years of activism. It’s a good reminder that, “The right to vote is the most powerful nonviolent tool or instrument in a democratic society. We must use it.”
Winner of the 2021 NAACP Image Award, the documentary stars John Robert Lewis, Elijah Cummings, Nancy Pelosi, Cory Booker, Hillary Clinton, Ilhan Omar, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Streaming on multiple platforms.
Featured Writing
Stacey Abrams and the Fight to Vote. By Traci N. Todd and illustrated by Laura Freeman.
While adults are talking about the importance of voting, this picture book about Georgia-based politician Stacey Abrams is a great resource to inform and educate our younger future voters about the importance of voting and civic engagement. Current voters will appreciate the artwork and learning how Abrams is part of a long line of women leaders, including Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells, Septima Clark, and Fannie Lou Hamer, whose determination helped move America towards true democracy.
Photos by Jacob Chabot and Alice Dodge.
Traci N. Todd is a children’s book editor and writer whose work centers on Black culture and social justice. Laura Freeman has illustrated over 30 children’s books, including Hidden Figures, winner of the 2019 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Children.
