Daughter of slave votes for Obama

Texan Amanda Jones is 109. Her father was a slave until he was 12. At his encouragement, she has voted in every election since she first cast a ballot for Franklin Delano Roosevelt, despite all manner of harassment.

Amanda Jones’ father urged her to exercise her right to vote, despite discriminatory practices at the polls and poll taxes meant to keep black and poor people from voting. Those practices were outlawed for federal elections with the 24th Amendment in 1964, but not for state and local races in Texas until 1966.

Today, she filled in a mail-in ballot for Barack Obama. This is a great day.

7 thoughts on “Daughter of slave votes for Obama

    1. True that. I think a lot of Americans have an emotional (not to mention political) investment in seeing slavery as centuries removed from where we are today.

      Amanda Jones proves it isn’t.

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