2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumCivil rights activist Myrlie Evers endorses Hillary ahead of MS primary
The Briefing @TheBriefing2016Ahead of tomorrow's MS primary, civil rights activist Myrlie Evers endorses @HillaryClinton. http://hrc.io/1X7fZb6
Myrlie Evers, comforting her son at her husbands funeral.
Why Im with Hillary Clinton, by Myrlie Evers-Williams
Civil rights activist and wife of the late Medgar Evers shares why shes standing with Hillary Clinton.
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
The 15th Amendment is clear.
Since the late 1800s, African Americans have been fighting for the right to voteand today, we are still fighting for that sacred right. In the 1950s and 60s we fought to give our children a quality education while a majority of black children were limited to poor segregated schools, and we fought to end the scourge of racism that gripped our country.
Fifty three years ago, my husband, Medgar Evers, was assassinated in our driveway, after returning home from a mass meeting encouraging voter registration.
Medgar always knew that progress depended on protecting our access to the ballot box. The vote, he always believed, was the best way to achieve justice and equality. Medgar once said In the racial picture, things will never be as they once were. History has reached a turning point here and over the world. This statement was true then and is even truer today.
After decades of slow but steady progress, the rights that my husband and many others fought and died for are threatened like never before. In 2011, the state of Mississippi held a referendum, passing a restrictive voter ID law that should have required federal approval under the Voting Rights Act. Yet, in 2013, the conservative justices of the Supreme Court eliminated those protections, and the law went into effect just two years later.
Today, can we rely on the judicial branch of government to protect our right to vote? Im not certain the answer is yes, and that is why I believe its important that we have a leader in the White House who will be a champion for social justice and economic equality.
Hillary Clinton understands that we must make it easier, not harder, to vote. Her plan to restore the provisions of the Voting Rights Act that would prevent voter ID laws is progress. Her plan to implement automatic universal voter registration is progress. Her plan to create a nationwide standard of 20 days of early voting before elections, which will allow every American to exercise the right that so many fought for, is progress.
My home state of Mississippi has the second highest gun murder rate in the nationnearly double the national average. Hillary Clinton has a plan to address gun violence with solutions that can actually be achieved. Gun violence is plaguing this country and robs us of 33,000 people every year. It is no coincidence that Mississippi has some of the countrys most lenient firearms laws. Hillary Clinton is the candidate that stands up to the NRA.
Hillary Clinton is standing up for our children and has a bold vision that protects them; eliminates the school-to-prison pipeline; improves our education system; and enhances the opportunities for women. Our economic and criminal justice systems remain stacked against the most vulnerable people in our society, and young men of color are the unfortunate recipients of these injustices. Our youth are our future and must be protected. In the Senate, Hillary Clinton sponsored legislation to ban racial profiling, prosecute hate crimes, and eliminate race-based disparities in our health care system. She is making progress.
America needs a leader that will stand with communities of color to fight the injustices that still inundate our communities. Secretary Clinton is committed to fighting these battles. She has done it all her life, from her days at the Childrens Defense Fund fighting for our children to helping those in need in Alabama. Secretary Clinton is a compassionate woman, and has been there during my time of tragedy and celebration.
She and her family shared in the 50th anniversary commemoration of my husbands life and legacy.
Secretary Clinton will be there for you, and for all of us.
My husband and I have dedicated our lives to ensuring that men, women and children of color are treated with respect and dignity. Our quest did not end with his death in 1963. Today, I fight and stand for justice and equality for all Americans. Today, I stand for progressand I stand for Hillary Clinton.
read: https://www.hillaryclinton.com/feed/why-im-hillary-clinton-myrlie-evers-williams/
President Clinton and Myrlie, at the 50th anniversary commemoration of Medgar Evers life.
dragonfly301
(399 posts)bigtree
(85,989 posts)..but Myrlie is instantly recognizable...to those of us who care for who and what she represents, defends, and advocates.
vintx
(1,748 posts)Guess neither one of them are progressives.
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)bigtree
(85,989 posts)... served on the front lines of the fight for civil rights with her husband to end racial segregation in schools and other public facilities, to win the voting rights that she and many other black Americans were denied.
She's advocating here for voting rights, gun safety legislation, an end to racial profiling, prosecution of hate crimes, and elimination of race-based disparities in our health care system.
If your progressive politics doesn't stand for those, it doesn't stand a chance with me.
vintx
(1,748 posts)She is going backwards by backing the pro-private-prisons candidate.
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)you start telling us which AA civil rights icon is "progressive." But, with MI today, I can see the rush....
vintx
(1,748 posts)(till she had to compete with an ACTUAL progressive) is not progressive.
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)vintx
(1,748 posts)Can't get anything by you!
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)vintx
(1,748 posts)msanthrope
(37,549 posts)vintx
(1,748 posts)an insult.
WTF
EffieBlack
(14,249 posts)before today.
That alone speaks volumes.
PyaarRevolution
(814 posts)Reading about her history I respect that but I wonder what's going on behind the scenes. I don't doubt her but I wonder what's being said to her by John Lewis and others.
EffieBlack
(14,249 posts)Do you think Myrlie Evers is stupid or naive or can't make up her own mind? Do you "wonder" who is saying what to Sanders endorsers? Or is that kind of condescension reseved for people of color who support anyone other Bernie Sanders?
Myrlie Evers is a highly respected, brilliant, committed woman, the former Chair of the NAACP, and an icon who has handled her entire life with grace, courage, intelligence and decency. the fact that some Sanders supporters would question her motives, intelligence, and independence is outrageous, and the idea that they would show such disrespect to a woman they hadn't even heard of demonstrates an arrogance and ignorance that is beyond belief. Anyone who knows so little about the civil rights movement that they've never heard of Myrlie Evers just needs to go somewhere, sit down, be quiet and stop lecturing people of color about civil rights.
If anyone wonders why Sanders is having trouble connecting with black voters, they need only look at THIS RIGHT HERE to find Exhibit A.
dsc
(52,157 posts)I am sure you did vastly more to ensure the rights of people than she did. BTW here is a bio not that you care. http://www.biography.com/people/myrlie-evers-williams-205624
auntpurl
(4,311 posts)trying to get across in post after post that is dismissed as racial dogwhistling.
She is one amazing lady, and she's endorsed another amazing lady!
k&r
SidDithers
(44,228 posts)Sid
NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)oasis
(49,376 posts)Aerows
(39,961 posts)I ran into more than a few people that decided to vote for him, too.
We are getting down to the nitty-gritty, I think, where the nomination is going to end up being extremely close.
If you have to haul your neighbors to the polls, do it. Every vote can be the make it or break it regardless of who you support, and it is important to make your voice heard.