Equal: A Work in Progress – Voting Rights and Realities

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation that prohibits racial discrimination in voting, designed to enforce and secure the voting rights guaranteed by the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments. The protections in the federal act and the numerous provisions within it are then left to state and local governments to adhere to and enforce.

VIRTUAL: FREE

For the fourth conversation of Equal: A Work in Progress we will explore the rights of the election process and the interpretations and realities of when certain policies and actions can be discriminatory. Every election cycle there are conversations about accessibility in voting and the regulations or state laws that make it harder for some citizens to cast their vote. Through an exploration of election laws over the last few decades, learn about how these state and local interpretations impact equality at the polls.

Indiana’s constitution declares “that all people are created equal.” Though this revolutionary idea is a foundational principle of our state, it is marred by a myriad of contradictions. This ongoing series of interdisciplinary conversations examines our collective definition of equality at key moments in Indiana’s history to better understand who is considered a citizen, who gets a seat at the table, and who maintains power in our society.

Featuring:

Joseph Tucker Edmonds, Ph.D. – Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Africana Studies at Indiana University’s School of Liberal Arts at IUI and the Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture.
RaeVen Ridgell – Public Policy Analyst and CEO of The Dreamer’s Guild, an organization that equips elected officials and community leaders with the necessary tools to promote real and intentional diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in their political campaigns and in public policy.
Brent Stinson – Deputy Director of Elections at Marion County Election Board

With:
Marianne Sheline, Director of External Engagement and Special Initiatives at the Indiana Historical Society

Sponsored by the Charlitta and Robin Winston Family Fund for African American History