Kanye 2020 | Page 6

Mirror Mirror on the Wall Who’s the Fairest of them All?

The dominant chorus in the United States projects a positive narrative in which America protects freedom, equality, and justice for all. But the loudest chorus is not the largest—it is the wealthiest and the whitest. Although Black Americans continue to endure rampant racial discrimination in the 21st century, the recent Voting ID laws are…

The “Hear No Evil, See No Evil” Ideology

The Republican and Democratic parties are more than just two political parties, they’re political absolutes. In today’s climate, claiming allegiance to a particular party is tantamount to claiming a certain kind mindset and lifestyle. It should be said that both parties want the best possible outcome for America, but the ideologies behind constructing the processes…

How to Promote Change

“A Dream Undone” by Jim Rutenberg sets out to document the struggles of blacks in their efforts to be able to vote, not only by law, but in practice. Part of the blame rests on the parties and their attempts at keeping or gaining southern voters. The concept of “State’s Rights” also developed as a…

A Solution in Search of a Problem?

Voting rights have been one of the fundamental parts of our democracy. Rutenberg, Bentele, O’Brien, and Green’s pieces all show how over the years, certain voters have been disenfranchised due to legislation restricting people’s right to vote. The consequences of restricting someone’s right to vote are dangerous, because it can lead to policies that go…

The Parallel Between Then and Now

In 1956 as an African American in North Carolina, Henry Frye recalls being denied the right to vote. Frye, a member of the Air Force did not have the ability to vote in the same country he risked his life to protect. It would not be until 1965 when the Voting Rights Act was signed,…

“It’s like we’re living in 1960”

In 1965, the Voting Rights Act was passed which served to eliminate literacy tests, require states in the Jim Crow south to submit future changes in statewide voting laws for federal approval, and more to enfranchise African American voters. Fast-forward 50 years and things haven’t gotten much better. Current Voter ID laws disproportionately marginalize young…

The (Republican) Ideology

Republican saw a golden opportunity to capitalize on Americans’ unconscious biases when Lyndon B. Johnson attempted to spread the benefits of liberal policies enacted since the New Deal to racial minorities. Since then, republican elites have used racism as a strategy to win votes by playing off people’s unconscious biases rooted in their upbringing, natural…

Reports of Voter Fraud, Intrusions on State’s Rights, and the Discriminatory Effects of the “Results Test” Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

Keith Bentele and Erin O’Brien point out that restrictive voter laws have increased in places where the republicans are in power and the minority turnout has recently increased, particularly in the wake of an unusually competitive presidential election. This adds to the evidence that restrictive voting laws, regardless of their expressed justification, are a calculated…

The Problems Found in Primaries and in Financial Support

The polarization among the two parties, seems to get larger every day in modern America. In chapters seven and eight in Deeply Divided: Racial Politics and Social Movements in Post-War America, Doug McAdam and Karina Kloos continue to speak about this in regard to the escalating conflicts among parties and within the government during the…

Money is the Root of this Problem

In the final two chapters of Deeply Divided, McAdam and Kloos delve into the current political climate and look at the partisan polarization. Over the Obama years, we’ve reached a new extreme of partisan polarization, exacerbated by the passage of gerrymanders by state legislatures and voter ID laws, and heavily contributed to by today’s racial…