Dear, John Lewis
In this section of the book “March” we read about the profound issue of inequality and the ongoing fight for voting rights during this time period. African Americans were not easily given the opportunity to register to vote. In order to vote they had to pass extremely difficult essays and countless amounts of tests. These tests were literally impossible to complete and even if you did pass them there was always some other tactic whites would use to prevent blacks from voting. To solve this issue people decided to come together and organize a rally called the “Freedom vote”. This mock election gave blacks a sense of what it would be like to actually vote in a real election and helped dramatize the exclusion of blacks from the electoral process. Although only a few people were able to register, the event was still a major success. You also spoke on the sit in at the “Toddle house” here in Atlanta where several members who owned a portion of the DOBBS corporation were denied any service whatsoever from the restaurant. In addition to this, you mentioned the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and how he represented so much hope for blacks during this time period and how you were afraid that his message of inequality would die along with him. While reading about all of these different events it definitely saddened and angered me. I can’t even begin to imagine how agonizing it must have been to constantly have to fight for something that should be a right. If I was around back then I surely would have participated in the various rallies, protests, and sit ins. I would have fought as much as I could to be treated equally and receive the same rights as whites were gifted.
Sincerely,
Kennedy Matthews