Our very own Harold and Claudia Fields went on a pilgrimage this summer to the southern states of the U.S. Among many adventures, they traced the history of voter suppression. This month, they will share a bit about what they learned and together we will draw parallels to what is occurring today.

Among many topics we will cover are: states negating voter’s rights acts, gerrymandering, propaganda convincing the citizenry that our votes don’t matter, lack of cohesion and therefore of communities to make a difference. Most importantly, we will consider how white supremacist ideology plays out in the elections today. We will consider possibilities and opportunities for change, such as the new law in Colorado granting parolees the right to vote.

Questions:
1. How does white supremacist ideology operate in the elections? Who gets left out?

2. Given this history, how important is it to vote? Does it matter? Why or why not?

3. What are opportunities for making a difference or for changing the system? What would it take to make voting matter?