Message from the Chaiman

face could be seen quiet courage, with confidence and assuredness for her mission. Her pursuit of justice and equality was fact. She had a clear expectation that the voting campaign would succeed. She was there and ready wherever and whenever she was needed. Self-assured, posture erect, chin up and shoulders back, Mrs. Moore seemed almost to strut when she walked. She was an avid participant in marches and demonstrations.

In later years, Mrs. Moore was often referred to as an “invisible giant” because of her continued efforts and behind-the-scenes work to improve life for black people. Her children—a young son, Reginald, and two teenage daughters, Harriet and Gwen—were well mannered and well disciplined, not because she was stern and rigid, but rather because she expected them to act with intelligence and to use good judgement. And they did.

Mrs. Moore taught them early on a life’s lesson of standing up for what they believed. She was a stranger to fear and had a passion for service and community. As a teacher she went beyond the call of duty, often teaching students after school about their real black history, not what white people had written in the history books. She not only was well acquainted with her subject matter but also showed enormous love and compassion for her students.

Fast forward to March, 1965. On the day of the march, there was an eerie silence, a nervousness in the air as everyone sensed something horrible was about to happen. Yet, more than six hundred marchers continued on their mission, leaving Brown Chapel two by two and walking toward the Edmund Pettus Bridge. At the top of the bridge, marchers could see the swarm of blue uniforms of the state troopers. The troopers ordered the marchers to disperse. Hosea Williams and John Lewis knelt down, and the hundreds of marchers likewise knelt in a wave behind them. John began to pray out loud. The troopers, wearing gas masks tossed tear gas canisters into the masses, and all hell broke loose.

A sound like thunder filled the air as the horses galloped into the crowd, trampling people, whips slashing heads. Hundreds of marchers scattered, unable to breathe, eyes stinging, running toward the water to escape the gas and beatings. Others staggered back toward Brown Chapel with open wounds and blood-drenched clothes, chased by troopers on horses thrashing whips and wielding batons. Confused and injured, marchers tried to help each other while fleeing the onslaught of violence. The leaders, Hosea and John, and hundreds of others suffered bloody beatings. At the end of the day seventeen were hospitalized, including Mrs. Boynton and Mrs. Moore.

Yet from blocks away, through the breeze, the sweet sounds of voices could be heard singing “We Shall Overcome.” An objective analysis would conclude that the protesters were defeated. However, from the songs in their souls, one could hear victory. And victory it was, as this march, referred to as Bloody Sunday because of the bloodshed, increased the awareness of the important issue.

It is with heartfelt gratitude that I honor Mrs. Margaret Moore during this month of March. In her own quiet way, she contributed great gifts to her family, her students, and to the community. She was a positive influence on me and she surely inspired many others with her selfless dedication to her career and to her country.

We Join the SCLC in Honoring the Memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. May his Dream Become a Reality for all People.

We fully support equal opportunity for all, regardless of race, creed, sex, age, sexual orientation, disability, or ethnic background.

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You are his legacy in action.

A preacher. A leader. A Nobel Peace Prize winner. The founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. An icon for the ages. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is celebrated with a single day, but the impact of his legacy is too vast and his sacrifi ce was too great for a day to do him justice. We honor Dr. King for laying the foundation for social justice and those who continue to build on his dream for equality, unity and change.

FROM THE FIRST LADY

THE EVOLUTION OF THE RIGHT TO VOTE FOR BLACK WOMEN IN AMERICA

By Cathelean Steele, Founder, Justice for Girls

Black Women were active in the struggle for the right to vote years before the Suffragist’s march on Washington, DC in 1913 where Black women marched behind the White women because they were not allowed to march side by side. In 1896 Francis E.W. Harper, Mary Church Terrell and Ida B. Wells Barnett founded the National Association of Colored Women Clubs (NACWC). The NACWC and many other groups of Black women organized and fought relentlessly for the passage of the 19th Amendment while the white suffrage movement continued to distance themselves because of the need to separate their desire to vote from the issue of race in America.

On November 2, 1920 the 19th Amendment was certified by The Secretary of State. The 19th Amendment reads: “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 sex, Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.” Despite the passage of the 19th Amendment Black people in the South were still denied their right to vote because of Jim Crow Laws.

During the 1960’s civil rights movement, many young Black women became activists and dedicated themselves to encouraging Black adults to registrar to vote. Among those young women was Lula Joe Williams, a native of Montgomery, Alabama. Mrs. Williams worked throughout Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Texas. In researching Mrs. Williams work in the movement I read that she and other workers would talk to young people and adults and “guilt them a little, into registering to vote.” Mrs. Williams believes that Voter Education and Voter Registration must be a continuous process.

The effectiveness of the ballot was evident with the election of President Joe Biden as President of the United States and in the state of Georgia as this red state was turned blue for the first time in nearly thirty years. Thanks to voter activists like Helen Butler (Coalition for Peoples’ Agenda), Barbara Arnwine (founder of Transformative Justice Coalition) a LaTosha Brown and Cliff Albright (Black Voters Matter) Stacy Abrams, Nse Ufot (Chief executive Officer of the New Georgia Project) and others who worked tireless to get Blacks registered to vote. (Article continued on Page 11)

According to statics the number of Black Americans eligible to vote reached around 30 million. These record numbers of voters have now created a new problem. Republicans in the Georgia legislature are now proposing tougher restrictions on both absentee and in-person early voting. The bill would of course affect minority voters in large populated areas. These areas are strongholds for the Democratic party. Black voters must continue to observe the political process and never become complacent. In 1975 Harold Melvin and the Blue Note wrote a song entitled Wake Up Everybody; in the third verse, the lyrics are “the world won’t get no better we gotta change it yeah, just you and me.” Mainstream organizations must continue to monitor our elected officials and not allow the system to manipulate the laws to benefit only a few. Everyone should be allowed access of the vote.

A special tribute to an unsung hero of the Civil Rights Movement

Dr. Glenda Miller was the first president of Rome, Georgia’s chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). She continued her dedication to SCLC after moving to Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Miller has been a great supporter of our Justice for Girls Initiative. Thank you for your dedication to the SCLC.

THE ONLY THING MORE IMPORTANT THAN STARTING THE CONVERSATION IS KEEPING IT GOING.

We honor the men and women who began the dialog for social, economic and political justice through our commitment to help continue it.