Early voting started recently and will continue until November 4. It is our opportunity to vote for the candidates of our choice.
As a citizen, I do not take voting for granted. My ancestors did not always have the chance to vote. Poll Tax laws and other bogus rules were passed to keep African Americans from the voting booth.
I was a rising senior in high school in August 1965. I will let you know later the significance of this month and year. My view of the world and the challenges we faced were limited but there were some things that caught my attention.
Living in the South, I do remember there being a lot of civil unrest due to racial intolerance.
During some of my formative years, I can recall picketing some of the downtown eating establishments in Winston-Salem, N.C. One in particular that we spent a lot of time marching in front of was the K&W Cafeteria. It had a prime location in the heart of the business district.
However, for Black people it didn’t matter how prime the location was because we couldn’t eat there.
Over time and with legislation, voting was secured for people who look like me. I cannot imagine not being able to vote.
