President Obama’s Letter To The Editor [New York Times August 11, 2015]

For the cover story of our Aug. 2 issue, Jim Rutenberg wrote about efforts over the last 50 years to dismantle the protections in the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the landmark piece of legislation that cleared barriers between black voters and the ballot. The story surveyed a broad sweep of history and characters, from United States Chief Justice John Roberts to ordinary citizens like 94-year-old Rosanell Eaton, a plaintiff in the current North Carolina case arguing to repeal voting restrictions enacted in 2013. The magazine received an unusual volume of responses to this article, most notably from President Barack Obama.

 

I was inspired to read about unsung American heroes like Rosanell Eaton in Jim Rutenberg’s ‘‘A Dream Undone: Inside the 50-year campaign to roll back the Voting Rights Act.’’

 

‘‘We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union. …’’ It’s a cruel irony that the words that set our democracy in motion were used as part of the so-called literacy test designed to deny Rosanell and so many other African-Americans the right to vote. Yet more than 70 years ago, as she defiantly delivered the Preamble to our Constitution, Rosanell also reaffirmed its fundamental truth. What makes our country great is not that we are perfect, but that with time, courage and effort, we can become more perfect. What makes America special is our capacity to change.

 

Nearly three decades after Rosanell testified to her unbroken faith in this country, that faith was vindicated. The Voting Rights Act put an end to literacy tests and other forms of discrimination, helping to close the gap between our promise that all of us are created equal and our long history of denying some of us the right to vote. The impact was immediate, and profound — the percentage of African-Americans registered to vote skyrocketed in the years after the Voting Rights Act was passed.

 

But as Rutenberg chronicles, from the moment the ink was dry on the Voting Rights Act, there has been a concentrated effort to undermine this historic law and turn back the clock on its progress. His article puts the recent push to restrict Americans’ voting rights in its proper context. These efforts are not a sign that we have moved past the shameful history that led to the Voting Rights Act. Too often, they are rooted in that history. They remind us that progress does not come easy, but that it must be vigorously defended and built upon for ourselves and future generations.

 

I am where I am today only because men and women like Rosanell Eaton refused to accept anything less than a full measure of equality. Their efforts made our country a better place. It is now up to us to continue those efforts. Congress must restore the Voting Rights Act. Our state leaders and legislatures must make it easier — not harder — for more Americans to have their voices heard. Above all, we must exercise our right as citizens to vote, for the truth is that too often we disenfranchise ourselves.

 

Rosanell is now 94 years old. She has not given up. She’s still marching. She’s still fighting to make real the promise of America. She still believes that We the People have the awesome power to make our union more perfect. And if we join her, we, too, can reaffirm the fundamental truth of the words Rosanell recited.

 

 

President Barack Obama, Washington

 

Twitter @sheriffali

 

 

http://nyti.ms/1P62CUG

 

Hillary Clinton Reassures Gay Youth In Viral Facebook Photo With Passion And Compassion

Hillary Rodham Clinton offered moral support to a distraught gay youth who shared his anxiety about his future in a viral photograph posted on the Humans of New York Facebook page, telling him on Friday that it would be “amazing.”

 

The boy, who is not named in the photo, is shown frowning and holding his head in his hands while sitting on a stoop.

 

“I’m homosexual, and I’m afraid about what my future will be and that people won’t like me,” he said, according to the caption.

 

Two hours after the picture was posted, Mrs. Clinton typed out some words of encouragement and signed her comment “H,” indicating that it was written by her and not by a member of her staff.

 

“Prediction from a grown-up: Your future is going to be amazing,” she wrote. “You will surprise yourself with what you’re capable of and the incredible things you go on to do. Find the people who love and believe in you — there will be lots of them.”

 

Kristina Schake, Clinton’s deputy communications director, took a screen shot of the comment and shared it on Twitter shortly after it was written.

 

Humans of New York is no stranger to viral content. Its posts, often showcasing the quirkier side of life in New York City, have been viewed millions of times and have inspired imitators in cities and countries around the world, including Syria; Mumbai, India; and Tehran.

 

But the nature of Friday’s post — a young gay person who appeared little more than a child, and Mrs. Clinton’s comforting response — gave it a lightning-in-a-bottle charge that helped it spread rapidly. Within 24 hours, it had been liked by more than 530,000 people and shared over 47,000 times, with more than 33,000 people scrolling through the comment thread to like Mrs. Clinton’s response.

 

Mrs. Clinton has made support for gay people one of the cornerstones of her presidential campaign. Two days before the Supreme Court ruled last month that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right, her campaign released a video that featured a montage of same-sex weddings.

 

“Some have suggested that gay rights and human rights are separate and distinct, but in fact, they are one and the same,” she said in the video. “Being L.G.B.T. does not make you less human.”

 

Gay rights organizations scored a major victory with the Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage, but significant challenges remain, they say. Discrimination is still an issue, and many young people face isolation and hostility from their families and communities.

 

According to the Trevor Project, a suicide prevention organization, lesbian, gay and bisexual young people are four times more likely than their straight peers to attempt suicide, and roughly a quarter of transgender youth report having made at least one suicide attempt. [New York Times]

 

Twitter @sheriffali

 

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http://nyti.ms/1JFXJTy