1/10 🧵Experts in the study of democracy hold that the United States has only been a full-fledged democracy since the 1968 election.
❓Why?
2/10 Why 1968?
It was the first time African-Americans could vote without traditional legal barriers.
Before then, voting while Black often meant navigating a gauntlet of literacy tests, poll taxes, and outright intimidation.
3/10 The landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 began dismantling these barriers.
It targeted racial discrimination in voting, ending practices that silenced many African-Americans.
But change wasn’t immediate.
4/10 By the time the 1968 election came around, the impact of the Act had begun to resonate, giving African-Americans a clearer path to the voting booth.
This was a seismic shift in the nation’s political landscape.
5/10 But systemic racism didn’t end with the ballot box.
From 1968 to today, the struggle for equality has continued, morphing into new challenges for African-Americans.
6/10 For instance, stricter voter ID laws have emerged, frequently under the banner of ‘voter fraud’ prevention.
These laws disproportionately affect marginalized communities, who often face hurdles in obtaining the necessary identification.
7/10 The myth of ‘voter fraud’ has been largely debunked, with evidence showing it to be exceedingly rare.
Yet, it serves as a rallying cry for measures that make voting more challenging for certain communities.
8/10 Unfortunately, such laws have found traction in the Republican party, especially in southern states.
The result?
A more complicated voting process for many African-Americans, continuing the legacy of voter suppression.
9/10 So while we’ve come a long way since 1968, our journey towards a truly inclusive democracy is still underway.
We must grapple with the reality of systemic racism and strive to eradicate these lingering barriers to full participation. ama-assn.org/delivering-car…
10/10 To truly live up to the ideal of democracy, we must ensure that every citizen has an equal voice.
1/10: This #Juneteenth, we confront a horrific but essential part of American history:
The brutal exploitation of enslaved Africans, whose unpaid labor fueled the rise of the United States as an economic powerhouse. #BlackHistoryIsAmericanHistory
2/10: From the early 1600s, millions of African people were forcibly brought to the U.S. and exploited for their labor.
They were the engine that powered America’s rise as an agrarian economy, particularly in the South. #slavery
3/10: Enslaved Africans were integral to lucrative industries such as tobacco, indigo, and rice in the 17th & 18th centuries.
However, it was the cotton industry in the 19th century that turned the U.S. into an economic colossus. #EconomicHistory
DeSantis regularly lies about science and vaccinations. His demagoguery related to a virus likely contributed to the deaths of thousands of Floridians.
Christina Pushaw, Ron DeSantis’s political adviser, failed to register as a foreign agent.
🚨A lawsuit filed against NC House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland County) accuses him of having an affair with another man's wife and engaging in group sex with people seeking political favor.
It is a vital part of the very fabric of American history and it continues to play a role in shaping our country’s future.
This thread will help illustrate that point by diving into an important piece of history – the arrival of… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
2/10: In August 1619, about a year before the Mayflower’s voyage, a ship arrived in Point Comfort, Virginia carrying the first enslaved Africans to English North America.
3/10: The “20 and odd” Africans, as historical documents refer to them, arrived on the “White Lion,” a ship that had captured them from a Portuguese slaver.
They were sold in exchange for food and some were transported to Jamestown, the first permanent English colony.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
America’s democracy problem is also a literacy problem:
“More than half (54%) of Americans between the ages of 16 and 74 read below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level, according to a piece published in 2022 by APM Research Lab.” @snopes.
The quality of our democracy is directly proportional to the quality of our participation in it. If someone can’t read, they are at the mercy of those who can.
This is not purely an education issue, it's a societal problem that touches upon all aspects of where we have failed; the lack of universal healthcare, the lack of universal pre-k, the lack of universal maternity care, a culture that punishes intellectualism, a culture steeped in… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
"Both The Washington Post and The Associated Press obtained evidence that Barrett, who has refused to discuss the subject publicly, served as a “handmaid” for the People of Praise." @Forbes
@Forbes "The term "handmaid,” a nod to Jesus’s mother Mary who in the Bible is described as “the handmaid of the Lord,” was originally awarded to female leaders within each of the organization’s branches—including Barrett, per a 2010 directory." @Forbes
"The organization recently changed the title to "woman leader,” due to negative associations with "The Handmaid's Tale," the popular television show based on the 1985 novel by @MargaretAtwood, @Forbes.