We made history in 2022, and weāre not done celebrating. #BlackHistoryMatters š§µ1/8
Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in as a U.S. Supreme Court Justice, making her the first Black woman to sit on the highest court in the nation. #BlackHistoryMatters š§µ2/8
Jaylen Smith was elected Mayor of Earle, Arkansas. At 18 years old, Smith is the youngest Black mayor in U.S. history. #BlackHistoryMatters š§µ3/8
Hakeem Jeffries was elected Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the first Black lawmaker to lead a major party in Congress. #BlackHistoryMatters š§µ4/8
Floridians elected Maxwell Frost to the U.S. House of Representatives ā sending the very first member of Gen Z to Congress. At 26 years old, Rep. Frost joins the 118th congress whose average age is 58. #BlackHistoryMatters š§µ5/8
Wes Moore was elected Governor of Maryland ā becoming the first Black American to hold Maryland's highest office and just the third Black American to be elected governor in U.S. history. #BlackHistoryMatters š§µ6/8
Former-Congresswoman Karen Bass was elected mayor of Los Angeles ā the second largest city in the U.S. Bass is the first woman, and the first Black woman, to hold the highest office in LA. #BlackHistoryMatters š§µ7/8
In 2022, Andrea Campbell was elected attorney general of Massachusetts. Campbell is the first Black woman to hold the office and first Black woman to hold any statewide office in Massachusetts. #BlackHistoryMatters š§µ8/8
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Minnesota will restore voting rights to over 50,000 people in July of 2023. š§šµš¶š š¶š ššµš² š¹š®šæš“š²šš šš¼šš¶š»š“ šæš¶š“šµšš š²š š½š®š»šš¶š¼š» š š¶š»š»š²šš¼šš® šµš®š šš²š²š» š¶š» š±š²š°š®š±š²š. š§µ1/7
On March 3, 2023 Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed a bill that will restore voting rights to over 50,000 people convicted of felonies but still āon paperā ā serving out probation or parole. š§µ2/7
A disproportionate number of the 50,000 voters whose voting rights will be restored by this new law identify as Black, Native or Latinx.Ā Black people make up about 6% of Minnesotaās voting-age population, but 24% of these disenfranchised voters.š§µ3/7
On March 30 2023, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the #NewMexico Voting Rights Act (House Bill 4) into law. š§µ1/7
āNew Mexico is leading the nation by example, declaring that we believe, unequivocally, in the fundamental right of every American to choose those who represent them.ā ā Gov. Grisham š§µ2/7
The legislators we elect have the power to strengthen and protect our democracy. š§µ3/7
On March 7, 1965 ā now known as Bloody Sunday ā John Lewis and Hosea Williams led marchers through the streets of Selma, Alabama, demanding Black Americans' right to vote. They planned to walk the 54 miles to Montgomery, to bring awareness to the fight for voting rights. š§µ1/4
When the group crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge, about 150 state troopers, sheriff's deputies and onlookers stood in their path. The troopers gave a 2 minute warning to disperse before advancing with tear gas and clubs. Dozens were injured and hospitalized. š§µ2/4
Footage of the unprovoked violence by state troopers and bystanders against the peaceful protesters shocked the nation. The heightened awareness created by the shocking footage was critical in the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.š§µ3/4
On March 2, 1955, Claudette Colvin refused to give up her seat to a white woman on a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama. #OTD š§µ1/4
As police officers dragged her from the bus, she shouted again, and again, āItās my constitutional right.ā She was jailed and charged with violating segregation laws, disturbing the peace and assaulting a police officer. She pleaded not guilty, but was convicted. #OTD š§µ2/4
Colvinās act of protest happened 9 months before Rosa Parks sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycotts, but Colvinās age and lack of experience in the civil rights movement has rendered her act of bravery and defiance all but forgotten in the telling of civil-rights history. #OTD š§µ3/4