Transcripts For CSPAN3 African American Voting Rights 20240711

Wanted to start out by sharing with you the partnership between the National Parks conservatives association, and the association of study of life and history began more than 28 years ago. It was then at that irena webster, and govern spencer dug, joined with the woman who would become my first boss at ncaa, i had to get right. Had the vision to join forces to support an enhanced the work that the National Parks service is doing in order to protect the African American experience. Sadly, i had to give passed away earlier this year. I want to take a moment at the start of this conversation about the preservation of the history of the struggle to achieve black Voting Rights, to remember my boss, my friend and a true pioneer in the long and ongoing process to make congress this survey shun and preservation organizations like and pca, more just, equitable, diverse and inclusive. Thank you diana. Now, for our panel today, folks are going to be aware of the history of the struggle of Voting Rights as wide ranging multi faceted is still going on. But we want to do with this panel of experts and people who are my friends, folks that i admired, is to get their insights on this issue. But maybe and more specific in direct ways, we have one person, josephson recall who actually lived through the struggle for Voting Rights and bloody loans county. We hear from josephson, our families experiences in her experiences. And what shes doing now to help preserve the history. Then we have two other friends, i get people that i admire very much, decal men robinson who are experts and have long storied careers to help preserve the African American experience, including struggle for Voting Rights. So, without any more ado, joe were gonna turn it over to you first. For your individual presentation, this will move into question and answer session, and we will begin to take questions from the audience. Thats helping to coordinate those, and feed them into discussion. Thank you all for being here, so we will go to you now. Thank you. Thank, you good afternoon. In our discussion today, im going to make three declarations were guarding preserving the history of the Voting Rights struggle. Number one, from the civil war ended it laden 65, two years later in 1867, there were 4000 blackmon registered voters in the county of alabama. In 1965 the, out of 5000 African Americans there was not a single registered voters. Number two, snake came into the county, established an independent political party. In may 1970, 2500 African Americans participated in the democratic primary. Number three, the Voting Rights struggle is preserved in miles county alabama. Aisles county alabama is 22 miles of highway 80, also known as the National Historic trail. One cannot get to montgomery from selma, or from selma from montgomery without traveling and miles county. In 1865, now the county legislators supported a proposal to enfranchise black man, believing they could control their votes. However, in march 1867, when congress extended the franchise to black man, through the reconstruct of acts it can clear that blacks intended to vote as they pleased. Despite the use of terror tactics, failed to keep american African Americans out of the battle box. By 1867, 4000 blackmon add their names to their voting polls. Not prepared for who was born a slave, near georgia. Close to the civil war, he moved to now the alabama, and in 1867, he organized the First Baptist church for African Americans. Tallahassee funds from the friedman bureau, operated a school in that. From 1870, up to 1872, he himself served as the county representative and the Alabama House representative. In 1883, College Educational association, and build the myles Borough School as a separate building. The 1870 church, and the last birth school or on the national register, and still stand today. Well with the voting hand, the African Americans of course supported the Republican Party. Because that was the party that he delivered them from our slavery. But then, democrats seized the states Party Democrats by gerrymandering the Congressional District and by expelling black legislators, that replace the Republican Party crashed. In 1901, local crust insurgency of the state constitution, provision which required odors to pay a dollar 50 cumulative poll tax. Pass the literacy test. And, provide proof of good so now remember 1900, now this had more than 5000 registered black voters. Six years later, the county had only 57. Nows county became known as because of high rate of high violence against blacks. And then came segregation. The United States District Attorney have been told, he rather stay away from north county. Every black man, woman and child, was a potential target of racial violence. Lynching made it abundantly clear that public protest was foolishly dangerous. 1935, Settlement Administration purchased a large plantation and divided into small that same year, 1935, three blackmon were lynched seeking better ways. It was clear that nows county remain too dangerous, and that, in 1947, my father changed his status plus that of of other many blacks and last county. He was lynched for his achievements. Seven children were left fatherless after his death. All this one was 15 and i was five. I father began 39 years of huge he had a plantation a story high on highway 80. A civil rights trail any help to build a highway. And he was employed about 40 people. And he had three tractor trailer trucks. My father was shot six times with a pistol, and ones in the back with a shot. Aisles county to have efforts to cover the process so it would not appear to be a lynching. I wrote a book detailing about it, and i titled it the penalty for our success, my father was lynched in those county alabama. My family established a foundation, and my fathers memory. To keep his leggy legacy of entrepreneur going. Now we moving forward to 1960s. An operator alabama, since 1960. On march 7th, 1965, john lewis lived in implicit march which became known as the march finally rich montgomery, on march 21. The result was murdered transporting montgomery back to selma. Carmichael came to miles after louise alis death, and was joined by bob myths, and others. Slick set up an independent black political party, better known as the black panther party. As they began to white land owners evicted 75 families. To keep evict ease from leaving the county, snake erected some residents of tech city live there for more than two and one and a half years. And still today, there is nothing on the landscape to show that snake, or the community were even there. Thank you very much. Very powerful presentation, great personal history. How geno were gonna go to you next please, take it away. Thank you al, and joe i want to say thank you for sharing your story there. Its those kind of stories, as our histories that really make this relevant and real for us. To tell the stories brings forward the cultural outreach that so necessary for us to have and connect with. In fact, that is part of the mission of a National Park service to preserve and protect the natural and historical but also Cultural Values of places like limes county. Salma, and to montgomery trio. And that is actually what was the underpinning, for the commemoration that we had and for the 19th amendment this year. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment. That granted suffrage for women. In through the constitution. We also, though, and our commemoration, wanted to keep in mind two things. That the National Service must communicate to all, that not all women achieve the right to vote. With the passage of the 19th amendment. And second, the struggle was very much the find by class, and race, and religion. Those are the things we want to make sure that we put forward in any commemorative events that we did. And so we kept this first point and mine, that not all work to get the right to vote, because of the passage of the 19th amendment. Because history is not pretty, it is not clean. It is not clear cut, when we try to tell it, the stories we must compel them at all or complexity. I want everyone to think for a moment, in your school days, when you were learning about the Suffrage Movement, think of some of the images that were used to tell the stories . You me recall some images of Elizabeth Katie stamp, and susan b anthony, looking over some papers to push forward for the suffrage rights. The silent sentinels, that were standing out in front of the white house, in lincoln park. Significant even today in protest. But they were there, petitioning against Woodrow Wilson or the women who were jailed. When you think of those images, do you see black women . Do you see black women present in those images . More often than not, you do not. Those images are reflective of how history was meant to be told. Who is in charge of the stories. The black women who are working as hard as anyone else towards suffrage, who were always there, or not being able to be represented in a full way. They were often marginalized and their stories were marginalized. But now this body knows very well after the conflicts of the last month, these stories. My favorite story is Maggie Walker, who became an example to open up these stories that we are telling and the commemoration. The intersection of race and gender is very critical to talk about what we are talking about, suffrage, that the movement for suffrage involved civil rights as well as political rights. The second point that we wanted to make sure we got across is the struggle which continued for decades after the 20th amendment was passed. I was guided by class and race and religion, as i mentioned. So the right to vote, as you mentioned, joseph fiend, was restricted for black women in particular, and black men as well, by poll taxes, literally tests, grandfather clauses, and for others outside of that, just a question of whether you are a citizen or not. These are part of the stories that the park Service Wanted to make sure that we told in our commemoration this year. We also knew that we had to use a variety of means to get those stories across. You can still go to mp asked. Gov and see the website about the 19th amendment and womens history. You will be pleasantly surprised, i am sure, with a variety of people who are represented on that page. And then, using our programming for the event itself, and then coronavirus comes in and we have to pivot, pivot, pivot. But i think that made our programming even more relevant, because we were going to a lot of the virtual platforms. So the things we were doing that might have reached a group of people right there at these individual communities were put on virtual platforms. They had a wider reach, and we can still see those events today. In particular, the one that was done by womens rights where they were having a quality day and invited descendants of those pioneering suffragists and people waiting for suffrage, including descendants of Elizabeth Katie stanton and Frederick Douglass and Maggie Walker. It is these types of programs that we were able to experiment with and still have something very effective today. And finally, we also made a point to create partnerships, reach out to other organizations. We realize we are not completely all alone, the only expert, the last word, the final, final check of what was happening. We need to work with other groups, other museums, other organizations, to bring out these stories and make sure they are told. That also involved and intergenerational approach. Tapping into the energy of the Young Professionals who had new ideas and fresh ways of reaching a larger audience. And at the same time, reached back to get those oral histories and presentations brought in to make the connection so that we are reaching a wide audience. With this years commemoration, which does not end in august, and will not end, the struggle continues, and these stories must continue. We want to bring out these stories that were always there, to put a different lens on the stories that had been told, to bring a better focus to what happened before, so we can see what happened in the past a little bit better, so that we can see better going forward. Ajena, bank you for that. And it is a great segue, almost like we planned. It we will turn it over to the debt now. Please, share with us your thoughts. Thank you so much. Joe and ajena, thank you so much for everything that you just said. When we had our preview meeting, i made sure to tell both of you that i was very thankful to be on this panel with you. Lets make a recipe that is absolutely beautiful, but to hear you speak today, ajena i have heard you several times from the Parks Service. Its like ive been out of parks for a year and a half and suddenly i cant even say what it is. But just coming from the Parks Service, i have heard you speak about Maggie Walker and its just always so exhilarating. Thank you so much for sharing your familys history to me. As a museum professional, and also a historian, the thing that gets my soul is being able to hear oral histories, but also being able to hear it from the family. I feel that that is something that is very, very unique to what we had in our field as African Americans. We really do make sure to reach out to the community, to get those stories, and thank you, thank you. I am just overwhelmed, so that was all totally off script, but thank you both, and thank you all. Thank you for having me here today had a solace conference. I feel like i am back home all the time when im here. Thank you for having us. And thank you for having me. I am Vedet Coleman Robinson and i am the director of the African American museums. Ive been here for now as of this month a year and a half. Thats why i was stumbling, because Parks Service, i used to be there. I was at the park service for 11 years as a grants Management Specialist for hbcu grants, and also the African American civil rights grants, and underrepresented communities grant. So im sure a lot of you out there, outside of this little box that i am in have, in some way, shape, or form had some connections with me through just having those conversations and now being in this position. I am always reaching back out to make sure that everyone is still doing well. The association of African American museums has been around for 42 years now. We are the organization that really preserves, protects, and interprets african and African American history and culture, not just in the United States, but also internationally. The thing that i always love to say about triple am members is when we are collecting, we do it legally. We also do it respectfully. The reason i say legally is because nobody has not knocked on any of our doors saying you stole that from us, give it back. Everything is legal. There is always a document that is being signed, and like i said to joe earlier, we really just make sure that we are in the community. The majority of our museums are formed in the community and are of the community. What does that mean . The way we are doing our collecting, collecting oral histories, all of that is in the communities in which we serve. The other thing that is really important about that is sometimes you can have abilities. We dont have those problems. Our folks come up because they see themselves in our museums. As a matter of fact, something i can share with you as an example, in memphis, there was a protest right after george floyd was murdered. There was a protest. This protest started at city hall, and it ended at the National Civil rights museum. To me, those protesters could have chosen to end their journey, but they decided to end at the National Civil rights museum. Thats happening all over the country. In washington, d. C. , protesters were congregating at the National Museum of African American history and culture, going to the smithsonian Costume Museum and costume community museum. I should also make sure to say that because that is the correct name. Its happening all over the country. To me, its heartwarming. Folks who are out doing the work, making sure that they are trying to make sure that our liberties and trying to make sure that we still have some quality that we are still reaching for after all these years see fit to come to our museums and use them as beacons of coping. Something else, just like ajena mentioned, we really make sure to work through partnerships. We know that we cant do this work alone. Nobody can do work alone. I guess you could, but the more the merrier, and the more you can get done if you are working in groups. Right . Just like this panel. I am sure you guys would love to hear from me for an hour, but after an hour, you will be tired of my voice. My family gets tired of my voice after a little bit, so its okay. I say all that to say that partnerships are really important to Parks Service as well as aaam, and as well as a solemn. We partner with park service. We partner with the Maggie Walker center. We partner with the Charles Young site and museum. Once they come into aaam, they turn into museums. And we have partnered with the washington, d. C. Office. And this is all just making sure that the park service as they need help figuring out how to do things and how to expand their reach, we make sure that we are doing that correctly with our museums. So ajena there was that very well, because i tapped her shoulders a few times saying, ajena, i have an idea for Maggie Walker. Are you tired of my ideas yet . And she shakes her head no and i am thankful for, because we have to do this work together. And as i think about the 19th amendment and how our museums interpret and protect that history, we dont really have a problem in aaam museums preserving the history of the untold. Something thats important to us is you will always see suffrage, the Suffrage Movement of African American women, in our museums. It is just a matter of making sure that folks understand, it right . They are coming to our museums to get that information. Something that we also were to do with our museums is there is inner Museum Exchanges and then folks are also doing a lot of virtual things now. So we have had to pivot just like a salah has pivoted. The entire conference has gone virtually. And our museums are doing programming virtually. So this is really just a time for us to partner and to make sure that they are doing right by our ancestors. I think that it is very telling that our panel is right after the president ial election. Yay us. We get to talk about all of the things that should have happened, could have happened, and im not going to lead that charge, i will let alan do it. We are the folks who can, basically be the change that we want to see. I am thankful for that. Thank you all for your introductions, we want to get him some questions right now. Also remind folks that if you are listening to this presentation, if you have any questions please submit those. And shaq function, and we will get to those as we are able. Joe, i wanted to go back to you. And, one of the things i have learned is, becoming more and more familiar with the African American experience, and racial violence in this country, it is oftentimes lynching and racial violence are thought to be reigned and things. Just someone who is at the wrong place at the wrong time, and something was done to this person. Whats your fathers murder reminds us olive, or should remind us all of, in many instances in most instances, violence that was frequented upon African Americans was not random. It was actually meant to attack and target the people who were the most since successful, because there were people in White Communities who did not like symbols of success, like your father. How does a plane, to the story of your father and the book that he wrote . Which has put up on the screen, penalty of success. My father was lynched and can alabama . It makes us aware that these things are still happening. In fact, when the lynchings occurred in the myles county, wife did not even try to hide their faces, or make people might know they were. Many times they were being led by, sheriff and other officials. So it appears that the same kind of thing is going on right now. I just want people to think that this is something that happened in the past. Because it is still going on. And, we had the Funeral Service for john lewis. Several weeks ago, we lost a great man, one of the things and the comments that we hear from former president bill clinton was an off the cuff remark about snugly carmichael. And about the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee under studies leadership, maybe going in the wrong direction. You had mentioned still, kelly and the work that was being done by miles county in alabama. And there was a different kind of organizing and you got from other civil rights organizers, who are working in alabama or elsewhere at that time. And something very different from the nonviolent philosophy that was being espoused by dr. Martin luther king. Can you speak to that a little bit . Yes thanks for asking that question, very definitely. The kind of nonviolence that was being spoken of, and work through with scl and dr. King, could not and would not have worked in aisles county. These people, had to know that once you strike us, we are going to strike back. So, spoke lee actually started he said that he wants people to think a black power as the whites had white power. He was thinking of times of the massive, being able to get together, and use their, numbers as strength. That is what he thought was black power. The doctor jeffreys book, which is titled you will see a lady sitting there with a shotgun. Because these people were in these camps, and that at night, robert by woods shoot it until they found that these protect themselves and shoot that. So the kind of non violence, and hate that was being perpetuated by scl c, would not have solved anything announce county. Played a particular role in the Voting Rights struggle, because you have cell not to the west, montgomery to the east, lyles kind it became the place that if he were and organizing, and you did not want to be out of the roads in the dark. Lounge county became a sort of safe haven, where people could stay overnight. And, seek shelter in the community. So, could you talk about that a little bit . The role that lies county played a little bit, ballistic organizers and others . Yes there were several families who owned their own homes, and they could afford to participate about having a lot of a percussion. They lost businesses, and all of that. But their own homes, they can move more. There was a man named jon jackson, who own property. He knew that if these young men, kept moving between montgomery some, they were gonna get killed. So we had a vacant house, and he let these slick workers, live in the house. It was called the freedom house, now and it is still standing. And that was one of the ways that, lounge county people who able to protect state workers. We just saw up on the screen the cover of jeffreys book, and the sort of the sandwich board that the organizers is wearing with a picture of the black panther. Thank you for bringing that back up again, move on over or we will move on over you. That is a little bit of a different sentiment than we shall overcome. It is interesting that this component of the black Voting Rights struggle, this portion of its history is maybe a little bit less well known and other elements. But also, the interesting story is, these folks and lands candy they are the original black panthers. Because after the development of allowance candy organization, and their selection of symbol, a black panther as their political symbol, they got a call from some young man, in the bay area and San Francisco around oakland a year so later, asking if they could adopt that symbol for their use for something they were going to call the black panther party. At some point in time, we will have everybody and back to have a conversation about that history. Gina, i wanted to go to you please. We are talking about the 19th amendment, womens suffrage and wanted to get your thoughts on the womens suffrage march that took place in washington d. C. , on pennsylvania avenue, in march of 1913. And, it was a march, really for the ratification for the right for the women to vote. But it was a segregated march. So what role did African American women play, what role with a force to play in that event . So the march was organized by young organizer at the time, alice home who had witnessed the Suffrage Movement in england, which was much more in your face and radical than it was over here in the United States. And so she was also geared up to make sure that the women who would come from all over, of the country together in washington d. C. , for this march. And there was delegation from, we are ida b. Wells live, and she came along and she was all prepared to march with him. But, washington d. C. Is in a southern part of the country. So the organizers approached and said to the black women, who were going to be a part of it including terrell and the newly formed or sorority, that they would not be able to march alongside. That they will have to march towards the back behind the raid, and it was segregated so they would not offend those legislators, those people in washington d. C. Who could not have had in interracial march. Because jim crow was still very much enforced. So, ida b. Wells was not, did not go with that. She was not going to be marching towards the back, and she did not join the march when the delegation of her state moved out at first, but when they came by she slipped on and. And marched right along with them. Took another route of compliance. They did march in the back of the parade. But what that story exposed, and i hope it shows all of us, that there are individual and different approaches to segregation and issue. We are not a monolith, when we react. Joseph, angel talking about snake and scl see. Different approaches to try and reach the same goal. Some ways, sometimes it will work depending on who you are and with the situation is. We have to take time to look at how all of those things come together. Not condemn oneway, or uplift another way just because. You have to take in the full context understand whats happening. And so the stories will help us see that we are in our own situation today, its all right. To take different approaches. Depending on whats happening. Thank you for that. I wanted to follow up with another question, could you give us a good 27 and a half seconds on who magazine walker was, and also i noted that she was one of the first African American women to register to vote, after the 19th amendment was ratified. I think its actually september 14th, 1920 if i have the day correct. Tell us a little bit who mary walker was, and then also is there any correspondence, anything in a personal papers clearly this was a big deal for her, but is there anything that she wrote or said that really gives us some insight, on the how she felt . Clearly this was important, but what was she really thinking, what was in her heart as well as on our mind . Just the thumb nail sketch of mary walker, she was born in 1964 in richmond virginia, and grew up in the time of reconstruction analysts ending. She saw the 15th amendment, being passed when she was just a little girl. So she knew what the rights were, but she also was coming up as a young woman during the time, that jim crow was settling in. That rights to vote were being stripped away from black man. And women, like her, who were African American, had very limited opportunities. When she got to opportunity to be the leader of an organization, called the independent order of st. Louis, she looked at that organization as a way to, expand rights and opportunities for her community, for people all across. She was very powerful leader, community leader. And civil rights activists through the independent order of st. Louis. Becomes nationally known, for starting a bank. In 1903, and she used the newspapers to speak out against civil rights, speak for civil rights, and against jim crow segregation. And injustice. With this, she was also a member of national organizations, such as. The National Association for colored women, which had formed too, have a platform to speak out against lynching. They speak out for suffrage, to speak out for civil rights, for women. And, they were also involved in trying to make sure, that the right to vote was, applied universally. When you had, the rights that were in grand its black man, through the 15th amendment, stripped away. Maggie walker and the women of the end double ac w. , excuse me, and they see w. , knew that they had to use their platform, the best they could. To try and get right back. So she, starts out, by 1920. She is, they are much advocating for womens suffrage. As soon, as she could, after the passage of the 19th amendment, she went right down the city hall, and registered to vote, but she was also a woman who had lifted herself up to be quite privileged. So she has a nice home, as a president and a leader of the order of saint luke. Yet, she did not forget those who had less. Those who did not have what she had. And when you used her position, and to help educate and enroll black women, to register to vote. That was a challenge, remember we are in the south and richmond virginia. So, the registration for women, was segregated. And you have more registrars, working to register the white women, and he did for the black women. Mrs. Walker was right out there, saying if you dont have enough but mean there. I will do it. And they did not lead to do that. Whether the course of three days, in spite of all the obstacles that they had facing mrs. Walker, and order brown stocks were able to get, 2500 women. Registered to vote. They would continue, as a community, to educate. To get people prepared for the literacy, test. To help them hey the poll taxes, she would continue this, through until she passes away, in 1934. Right at the beginning of the modern Civil Rights Movement. Showing that, there is a reason to work, even, if you dont see the benefits of it for yourself. It is important, to lay the groundwork, for the next generation to keep building on it. , a gina thank you for that. I have a question for you, the national Voting Rights museum and institute in some alabama, they have a slogan on their website that reads, hands that pick cotton, can pick our president s. That is a pretty powerful slogan. Can you please hear more about how that museum, or other museums in a triple am universe, are tackling the issue of black Voting Rights police, . A sure thing, before i do that, and the reminisce not to say, regina thank you so much for shouting out sorority incorporated. And to all my i know this is a time that we are just teaming, but yes. Back to the question, i can definitely, answer that. So all of our museums, for the most part, i should not say for the most part. All of our museums are convening to, start really, a revolution. Its a quiet revolution. But, it is a revolution of Voting Rights. And basically making sure that, people are registered to vote. Making sure that in the community, they are getting out in the communities in which they serve. To make sure that people understand, the gravity of, what it is to not vote, and to vote. So, what i am learning is a lot of our museums are trying to, address a generation of folks who kind of dont understand, how important it is to vote. Because they do not see the person that they want on a ticket, they are just thinking nobody moves me. Im not going to vote. I think, im not going to call their names, i dont buy my phone and i told you guys before we started this that, one phoned is connected to every device in my house since we started, since we started having social distance. One of my members has told me that books are so woke, they are asleep. Thats basically what everybody is combatting, trying to just wake up, like in spike lees movie, school days, where lawrence fish burnaby and says wake up. Its serious, its that serious. Youre trying to make sure that the communities in which they serve, understand really, what is going to happen if we dont vote. What it looks like, when we dont go out and vote. The trends, of what has happened in the past, the trends of why its important for black people to get out and vote. People have lost their lives to voting, the thing that always sticks with me is, thinking about how long African Americans, i was here, heard stories growing up about how my greatgrandparents had to walk five country miles, or 15,000 country miles to get to a polling place. Its real, when i visited i thought yes, you guys were not lying this is the country. So its serious, there are people who died. There are people who, went into making sure that we can vote. And we just cant setback, its not a time for us to be quiet. Its not a time for us to, sit back and just allow things to happen to us. We have to be able to be the change that we want to see. I feel like we have an f members in a silo, enough members and triple am. Who have actually done the work. And i still hear. And can tell us about, what it was like. Just trying to make sure that people can vote. Joe told us a whole story about her day, and making sure that, you know and lands county folks can vote. This happened all over the country. Its not just miles county, its all over the country. It doesnt matter where you are, i think its so funny that people think that, the same problems were not happening in the north. Im from jersey, i can tell you, that these things were happening. So, in summary, allen i know youre gonna throw another question at me. Just to summarize that, i can definitely say that, our museums are out in the communities, even when it is not something that we are supposed to be doing because of covid. And now were doing it safely, but we have to be out in the face of folks, and letting them know that is important. And like i said, its not a time for us to be quiet. And not do it. We have to act. Follow up on, that i wanted to ask you, what are some of the best examples that you have, from some of the museums that are in your association, about the way that they are interpreting the Voting Rights. We have or history, video interpretation, other things like that. What are some of the more innovating practices that you are seeing. Coming out of museums, protecting and preserving and interpreting the sister . Definitely as you said, well or histories and exhibits, exhibit designs. But in the era of covid, everything has to be virtual. So we have a bunch of museums, putting artifacts on their website, having robots in the museums, to you know just, show certain parts of their exhibit, having dozings, read exhibits. That you know, doses that would normally release exhibits, as a tour for a da compliance, theyre actually doing it for folks who just want to be able to, visit their museums while theyre temporarily close, and these museums are actually a lot of our museums are slowly opening, and doing a responsibly based on the guidelines of their city and or their state, for covid. I think, when a gina did at the Maggie Walker site for, when she used the google robot, that is something that our museum is implementing as well. Gina, you dont know, but a lot of people are going to call you about how you got that robot, because i use it all the time. When i was in park service, it just really spoke to me, and now our museums, we see that we need to be a little bit more nimble right . We have to think up creative ways to getting peoples faces. A lot of folks are making sure their facebook pages are way more pronounced, their social Media Presence is way more pronounced than it has been in the past. And that is Something Else happening as well. Thats in addition to public programming. You can go to any of the museums, websites, you will see that there is a program that corresponds with voters rights for right now. Obviously, we will then ramp up next month where it is voted and very aggressively. Going back to what you just said, vedet, about the programming, data. With the google street views that we use, that was a program a did a few years back, a long time ago. It was about 14 different sites within the Parks Service that google reached out to to do these different tours. It was on our website. People would go to it and go on their own. Having to be creative and innovative, we started using that with ranger guided tours, showing that you can have a ranger on a zoom call, team call, and take people to the site. What is cool, though, is technology has advanced. When you look in the mirrors, at Maggie Walkers house, sometimes as you are going through that google to her, you can see the machine reflected in the mirrors. And it is humongous. It was so big that we couldnt take it upstairs to do the upper floors. Now, technology is such that you can take a cell phone and recorded on an ipad. Thats another option and that is a way to get our stories told beyond the walls of the museum itself. Its an incredible tool. Absolutely. I can say that when i was speaking to a few of the museums when covid first hit, we were just trying to figure out whats next. What can we do quickly . A lot of museums were temporarily closing, and i have to say that because i was saying museums are closed and people were saying no, its just temporary. For legal reasons, because vedet is not going to get sued, temporarily closed. Museum professionals were picking up cellphones, taking pictures of the pieces of the collection and just putting it out on social media. The machine is huge. You cant take it up the stairs or put it on a left and take it to the second floor. I dont even think rosy robot was designed for that. Just to be able to live in 2020, as crazy as 2020 is, we were able to just shift. If this was 1990 or even early 2000s with the horrible dialog, we would not be in the situation were in right now. So for all the craziness of 2020, i am thankful that we have the technology that we have so we can continue to keep moving and keep making sure that we are in the communities in which we serve. Im going to go to questions we are picking up from our viewers. I will start with one from benny pickett. Darnell a quandary wrote a letter to alice paul stating that College Women from coward university should be allowed to walk with white College Women in the parade. With the national womens, party and w. P, found out and told alice poll which he was doing about it. Black suffragists were allowed to walk with white suffragists. Thoughts on that . Its more of a statement then a question. I am learning as well. When you go to some of the documentaries that are out now, the way the story is told is that it was completely segregated. When you see the pictures of the march, it has the Howard University students marching in a group in the back of the parade. I would love to look even further to see about how they were allowed, or that part of it, from another perspective. These are the kinds of things that we need to have, to hear all of the different angles or views, so that we can have the fullest picture that we can portray. In particular, for either welsh, she waited on the sidewalk for the delegation to walk past and join them. She was warmly welcomed by her white colleagues. Alice poll was dealing with wet would be a poor response, especially from southern elected officials in congress who had the responsibility for ratifying the womens suffrage bill amendment. That was in her mind as far as the presence of African American women at march. Choices made in the moment. Choices made in the moment. Be a tryst jones is asking a century old is the flag in the woods insight, and do you have fled vendors to maintain your flag needs overtime. I guess thats a question both four vedet and four ajena. I can answer that very quickly from my and. I would either ask our members because there is a Permanent Collection and then there is the temporary collections. I would need to ask them if it is up, and then also how its being preserved, and then i can get that back to you. But i do not have the answer right now, because each collection is specific to our members. As for me, with the National Park service site, we just have the United States flag been part of, and these states flags that we are a part of, and so as far as i know those are the only restrictions that we have. Thank you for that. Joe, i want to go back to you if we might. We are both an internal part of the coalition of people seeking a designation of the alabama blackmail National Heritage area. We wanted to find out why you are supporting that cause and how you think might help to protect and preserve the history of the Voting Rights struggle in the county. Thank you for asking that. There is 19 counties in the black belt and we know that we need more funds. The counties are the poorest counties in the nation. I am particularly interested, because as i mentioned, all of the work that was done in the county, there is nothing to show for it. People just skipped right over what happened in alabama and talk about the montgomery march. The work shops and teaching people about we need something to recognize them. I am assuming and hoping that we will recognize the work that was done in the county and also recognize the school that was built in 1883. I was attending that school when my father was lynched and that school is still standing. Of course, its on the national register, but most people have not even heard of it, and most people have not heard of the reconstruction legislator. We will focus attention on an area that has got a lot of work but has not been recognized. While we have you, for those audience members who have not been to lands borough, can you give a description of what your home county looks like. What does it look like today . We lived in brick homes other than shacks. People have been kept on plantations, and most of them had gone from mostly shack houses yuck to some houses now that are brick homes. But then there are some People Living in mobile homes they still dont have Running Water in some places. Theres a lot of environmental issues. Sewage problems and all of that. So the county is still in dire need and as one of the poorest counties. There is maybe even more proof that we need to get back on the Voting Rights track. I am sure we have the representation necessary. Ajena, i want to come to you. We have had a conversation about the womens suffrage, the passage of the ratification of the 19th amendment and we have had the updating statement from our colleague here Betty Pickett rounding out that story. Do you think that there has been enough of a conversation nationally about the womens Suffrage Movement and the racial component of that, the racism in the movement . The opportunities for alliance across racism, but also in particular, the incidences and thinking that maybe kept black women or tried to keep black women in a segregated position for a variety of reasons. Have we had a National Conversation about that . Has there been enough where in . Us how do we continue to generate, highlight that story . I dont feel that there has been enough of a conversation. Although we are making Great Strides in trying to bring it to the fold, because as i mentioned, there have been several documentaries that have been in recognition of the centennial. There was one about but tennessee today what was pleasing to me was that they made an effort, a great effort, to integrate the story of what was happening with black women and at the same time they were talking about what was happening with the white women. We so we are seeing progress and how the story is being woven together. And it is bringing women of other ethnic backgrounds and racial backgrounds into the stories. It is not done. It is not finished, because from the comment we, there are different ways, more themes to look, at documents to come out. I was not familiar with that letter that was referred to that puts another twist on what that pictorial, that picture, showed you. So we need to have people to break forward with these sources so that we can make it. We can get the conversations going. Real quick, when i mentioned about the womens Rights Program that happened at henderson. That will be rebroadcast on october 24th through the public station in new york. Its a very interesting conversation about the legacies. That is what is important to those who are descendants. Have said heads of what these things were. We still need to have the conversations. We have a comment from dr. Rene. I hope i got that right. The letter referenced by natalie, the First National president of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority incorporated, was written on february 17th, 1913. Quote, the right way to write wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon it. A bit more information related to that. There you go. Put that in your notebook. Vedet, coming back to you, i want to say, i see similarities between what you are doing right now with the association of African American museums and the work that doctor carter g woods ended in terms of establishing asalh, getting out the journal of knee grow history back in the day that was known as knee grow history week. What are your priorities for using the Museum Community to really help highlight African American history, African American culture, the African American experience . Where are you going from here . Please tell that to Voting Rights but then also anything else that you are working on at this point in time. Make people more aware because yall have a moment right now. Thank, you alan. For us, its really about education. Right . Much like dr. Woods in, it is really about educating folks, making sure that they know these stories. As much as we as scholars love to say, did you read this book, that book, some people really just want to be able to do the tangible things, to go to a museum. I am part of several groups where folks say i didnt know that until i went to this museum. Sometimes i am astonished, but other times its like this is what we are here for. We are here to educate. I went to Virginia State university in petersburg, virginia, which is not too far from ajenas sight, but i never went to ajenas,. I never went to the Maggie Walker side until i was at howard. I didnt know that they existed. Its about making sure that folks are educated and they know that our sights and our museums are places of knowledge and we have a breath as well. Usually you will see a wall of tax down below that are a lot of scholars who helped put that wall together. Then there is also reading aids and finding aids of where the information came from. Its not just coming out of anybodys mind. It was something that was researched and folks put in a great deal of work to doing. Joes fathers information, i am sure that one of my museums, if not the book, if they are not selling the book on the shelf, they are definitely commemorating that story starts. We need to have the conversation afterwards to make sure that this is done in the correct way. And as far as Voting Rights are concerned and what we are doing here, we just really are making a point to, when you go through our museums, you will see artifacts about what has happened throughout history for voting. What has happened in these communities throughout voting . Something that is really simple is whats happening right now. All right . There are tons of something that we would call this paraphernalia out there, signs going up of who people are supporting and things of that nature. Kamala harris is the first African American vp. I would not be surprised and im not even going to say that its a surprise. I know my museum folks are running around saying hey, i need that, i need that, because im going to need that to put that in and again, legally, no one is stealing it off of anyones lawns. They are not going around just at the end of the night, when everybody is asleep, just grabbing these signs. But i know that they are gathering this information and putting it in their exhibits. Docketed they are doing the same thing with all the protests, whether its the National Protests or something thats happening in your state. They are grabbing that information. And all the movements that have been happening throughout, it seems like its been going on for at least ten years with black lives matter, but i know it hasnt, and i do know for a fact that our race for equality has been going on since, i feel like we came here. Since we were stolen and brought over here. So, way over 400 years are the times where weve been struggling to gain equality. But i say all that to say that 400, over 400 years now, i always make sure to say over because i think that has happened in virginia, also making this disclaimer. Not taking 1619 or any of that research away, it is phenomenal, but we also have to know that African Americans were here before then. In saying all that, i know that the collections in your museums of what is happening now will also be a part of whats our museums are doing. Its going to be virtual for a little bit, but you are absolutely right. And i should say that we have with you guys have. We have a question now and its a question for joe coming from laura everly. I have done one pilgrimage around the white supremacist murder of jonathan daniels, in a pistol seminarian killed in 1966. Are the people who organized that connected to the black belt heritage area effort and then more generally for everybody else, what is the potential role of Public Private partnerships just to get the money we need to sustain this kind of work beyond these anniversaries. Students in public history believe that government should lead, but the resources are usually not there and i know some private entities the some prinas moreities the political, in quotes, than say desegregation. Do you want to take the first part of that . Jonathan daniels talk about the episcopalian church. Its done annually and it is not connected with anything governmental. And getting it is not funded by anyone other than the episcopalians. And for just general information, congresswoman congresswoman from alabama this champion in the house of representatives and has introduced hr 5989, and we are hoping for passage of that bill this year if circumstances lead us to have to reintroduce and really start the effort. We will be back up again in 2021. So please stay tuned. But if youve got any interest in that, yes exactly, you can go right there. Right on the job. Congress. Gov and hr5989 to keep track of legislation. We will keep this for now. As we get towards the end of this panel, i wanted to ask each of you to take a moment and talk to us about what Voting Rights means to you. Weve had a little bit of the history. Weve had a little bit about the preservation of the Voting Rights struggle. But as a concept, when someone simply mentions the idea of Voting Rights, here at 5 19 on wednesday september 30th in the year 2020, what does Voting Rights mean to you . We will start with joe. I have a lot of heartache when i think about Voting Rights simply because america was supposed to be founded on those principles. The right to vote seems like it should be accorded to everyone. I should not be efforts to suppress people from voting. Yet everywhere we go, those efforts exist. The other thing that concerns me is that, and then i want to refer back for a minute. The place where the interpretive senate is is where the senate is located. That building has one little room, but it does not have [inaudible] none of those people or recognize. Therefore that history is not being told to our children. They need to know whats [inaudible] we always should have some interest and whats going on. Those are my concerns. Weve got some history not being recorded and nothing tangible that our children can see to recognize what happened. The other thing is, when will the people in america decide to honor this commitment to the principles on which this country was founded . Following up on that, a comment from marthas vineyard, massachusetts. We need to keep educating in all schools. Following up on that, on your point. Gina, your thoughts . What is Voting Rights mean to you . Voting rights to me means so much because of our own family history. When i was a little girl, just five years old, my cousin steep started telling me you need to vote. You need to make sure that when you grow up the to vote. You might have thought that would have been lost a little kid, but it wasnt. I voted every chance i can get. I brought my son with me when he was about six to the polls. Now my son is running for city council here in richmond. He drew a picture of us going to the polls when he was in fourth grade. As ive also studied to create programs with departs service, i started delving into my ancestors history and found out that one of my ancestors was killed because they were trying to suppress the vote in the area of newport. I know deeply that the power and the right to vote is critical to extra size them. It is so important for us to exercise that right to vote to make sure that we can change things. Maggie walker was saying things economically will not change unless women got the right to vote. It was one in one of her speeches from 1912. It was identified weight back then. It was identified as soon as the right was granted constitutionally. We cannot sit down and sit back. It is too important. Thank you. Vedet, boating writes, what does it mean to you . Such a loaded question. I just have one word, it is mandatory. Right . Much like ajena, i remember when i was a little, my mom was like youre going to vote. I dont care who you vote for, but you are going to vote. I thought that was, you know, all my life she told me what i needed to do, for this time she didnt tell me what i need to vote for. That is a make sense. You tell me what to do for the rest of my life and i want to be quiet. When she was showing me is that your right to vote is your personal decision, but you have to vote. Then we went to the polls as soon as i turned 18 and i was able to do it. We stood in line. The lines were not as long as they are now. But we stood in line and then i cast my vote and the rest is history. I make it a point to tell everybody who can listen that it is mandatory. People literally died for us to have this right. People are still dying for us to have this right. It might not look like that. It might not look like folks are dying because of voters rights, but to me thats really what it kind of is. If you are locking people up and giving them the death sentence or locking them up and taking away the right to vote, its just mandatory. I also teach parttime and i make sure to tell my students you have to this is your right. This is your right. Please, its one of those things that like you have a right and then you abuse it or then you have a right and you dont use it. Abuse this one, please. On the good side. Right . Abuse it. Dont abuse people. But abuse the right to vote. Go to the polls. We need that. Again, its just mandatory. Just one word. I know i put a whole bunch of words after that, but allen wants a good panel so im going to try to give you guys and allen would he want so i can get invited back. All of you came in under your work count. We are in under our time town as well. Thank you for that. One of the things that the Voting Rights issue strikes me is this notion that history is actually going on today, and maybe this summer, this very odd year we are going through with the racial reckoning with that, its making it abundantly clear that history is not something that was in 1893 or 1960. It was about five minutes ago. Being here in washington d. C. And experiencing some of the things weve seen over the last few months after the murder of george floyd i think has made all of my colleagues at the National Parks Conservation Association abundantly aware, but as we continue to have the agency manage the resources, its not all about the civil war. It did not stop in 1878. So we are looking to continue to be good partners in that regard with our community partners. With our museum partners. And certainly with our friends and colleagues and peers in the association for the study of African American life and history. I want to thank cistern time yet duncan who may, now that the conference is over, maybe able to get some sleep. Shes been answering emails since 2030 in the morning and 4 30 in the afternoon. Being a great steward and a great partner and a great logistician for all of this. Devin Ferguson Lopez matthews also help to set this up. I cannot and this without giving a shout out to my good friend sylvia cyrus, the executive director of the association for the study baffert in American Life in history. And of course, the great president of the association, doctor evelyn brooks higgins botham, who continues to do great work in the service of promoting and protecting the African American experience. Im alan spears, please look us up at www. That in dca toward. Make sure you are on the right and pca because it also stands for the National Police canine association and the national preet cast concrete association. Make sure you get the right npca when you look at. Up thank you to joe, vedet and ajena. Author Brandon Winford discusses his book john hervey wheeler, like banking and the economic struggle for civil rights with a panel scholars. The exam of the role mr. Wheeler played in the Civil Rights Movement in North Carolina through his position as the president of mechanics and farmers bank in the 1950s and sixties. This event was part of the association for the study of African American life in historys annual conference and they provided a video. So glad to be here and so very, very excited to chop it up a little bit about about brother winfords excellent book. Let me jump into my comments. Dr. Win for crafted and informative work that chronicles the life of one of the unsung types of civil rights. In this work, doctor win for places John Harvey Wheeler in the center of a compelling civil rights narrative, thereby casting a new light on the Dynamic World that this banker, activist and humanitarian played in the middle of the 20th century. The central argument of this wo