The US Voting Rights Act of 1965

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In 1995, Octavia E Butler became the first author to receive a MacArthur “genius” award for science fiction writing.From a young age she dreamed of writing books, but faced many challenges, including poverty, sexism and racism in the publishing industry.Her sci-fi books are now t ...  Show more

May 26, 1965. One hundred years after the Civil War, Congress is debating a bill whose goal is to enforce the 15th amendment, which, in 1870, promised the right to vote regardless of race. But that’s not what happened. Now the Civil Rights movement is saying: It’s time to make re ...  Show more

Seeking to build upon the gains of the early 1960s, Civil Rights activists pushed forward on a series of ambitious efforts. Voting rights activists returned to Alabama and again faced violent reprisal—this time televised for the country to witness. A shocked nation watched the vi ...  Show more

February 3, 1870. The 15th Amendment is ratified, which establishes the right to vote for black men in America. While Jim Crow laws would grip the south by 1877, there was a brief, seven-year window of opportunity. Half a million black voters turned out at the polls, and 2,000 bl ...  Show more

The 1965 Voting Rights Act enfranchised millions of Black voters in the Jim Crow era. The Supreme Court may be about to decide it's no longer needed. This episode was produced by Kelli Wessinger, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Patrick Boyd a ...  Show more