Aja Naomi King, Michael Ealy And More Team Up To Remind You: 'And Still I Vote'

By Shammara Lawrence


At the height of the civil rights movement, on March 7, 1965, hundreds of peaceful protestors convened in Selma, Alabama, to challenge discriminatory voting policies and help register Black voters in the South. That day, which came be referred to as Bloody Sunday, 600 protesters marching from Selma to the state capital of Montgomery were assaulted by local authorities and white vigilante groups. 17 people were hospitalized and dozens more were injured, including Congressman John Lewis, whose skull was fractured. The event sent shockwaves across the country: Footage of badly beaten demonstrators dominated airwaves, serving as undeniable proof that racism didn’t only exist in the nation — it was a feature of the establishment.


Bloody Sunday propelled President Lyndon B. Johnson to sign the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law. The bill aimed to outlaw voting practices that blocked Black Residents of the United States from the ballot box, like poll taxes and literacy tests.


Over the years, the Act has faced unprecedented attacks that would undercut voting rights In 2013, the Supreme Court nullified one of its central components, Section 5, which required states with a history of voting discrimination to get federal approval before changing voting rules. Since then, countless states have implemented new restrictions, from restrictive voter ID laws to shutting down obtainable polling locations, that have greatly affected people’s right to vote, particularly for people of color and other disenfranchised groups.


Enter “And I Still Vote,” a new campaign from the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, one of the country’s oldest civil rights coalitions. Coinciding with the 55th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, the national campaign shines a light on insidious tactics used by government officials to restrict voter access, as the sort is on a mission to equip each person with the equipment to conveniently physical activity the legal right to vote.


“As we honor the brave patriots who endured Bloody Sunday 55 years back, we must tear down the barriers to the ballot that still exist today,” Ashley Allison, executive vice president of campaigns and programs at the Leadership Conference, mentioned in a statement. “Unless we act right now, millions of Residents of the United States will be denied the correct to vote in the second election.”


To commemorate the anniversary, stars like actors Aja Naomi King, Danielle Brooks, and Alfre Woodard joined activists like Alicia Garza, the CEO at Black Futures Lab and co-creator of Black Lives Matter, in the fight to protect voting rights while in the 2020 election cycle. They posed for powerful images captured by New York Times-published photographer Andre D. Wagner, who has also photographed celebrities like Usher and Spike Lee, along with because the movie poster for Queen and Slim.


in every photograph, the models donned black T-shirts featuring the slogan "And Still I Vote" emblazoned across their chests. The images are at once an act of protest along with an a pledge that, no matter the hurdles people of color face any time voting, we are going to persist in making our voices heard.


This message becomes particularly vital as increasingly citizens grow disillusioned by the political process. For Garza, the campaign served as a way to connect with people on the importance and impact of voting, even once it seems like your vote won’t matter, because the candidates we pick will shape the future of our nation and its laws.


“I think some days [we] gaslight people into thinking that there's something wrong with them if they think there's something wrong with the way that this nation is being run,” Garza told MTV News. “Everything that you leave on the table, we leave for opportunistic politicians to take advantage of. The response to being dissatisfied is to get more powerful, and the way that we get more powerful is by staying engaged and staying involved.”


For Aja Naomi King, taking part in this campaign was a critical way to honor the legacy of these who fought for the rights she currently has. “I can’t help yet think all of the Black and brown people that came before me and risked their lives so I could have the ability to vote,” the actor told MTV News.


The campaign also includes the “And Still I Vote” tour, while in which they’ll stage events to engage would-be voters in their own backyards. It kicked off in Selma, Alabama, on Sunday, March 1, to commemorate the 55th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. Later aids in averting are slated to include Milwaukee and Phoenix, where several residents face voting rights obstacles. Advocates beyond All Voting is Local are working with marginalized communities in these cities to calculate and remedy barriers to the ballot box.


“I hope people visualize the campaign and are moved to vote as well as converse with their companions and family member about voting. I want people to spread the word. [There’s] power in voting and standing up for your voice to be heard,” Wagner said.


Allison added, “People desire to engage in democracy. We need to permit every eligible voter to register to vote and as soon as they go vote, for it to be counted.”


And while it’s essential to fight voter disenfranchisement at the federal and state level, there really are steps you could take here and right now to protect your right to cast your ballot. Sites like Vote.Gov and MTV’s +1 The Vote  will help you register to vote, and once registered, “you wish to prepare ensure you actually get on the [voter] rolls, so you could check that by going to your secretary of state website,” Allison explained. Check in on your polling location so you’re able to plan ahead of time how to get there.


In the legacy of these who marched in Selma, the Leadership Conference is fighting to make sure that each vote is counted by informing people about their rights and advocating for legislation that eradicates discriminatory voting policies. “Sometimes people think about voting rights and so they think that's what people fought for back in the day,” Garza mentioned. “But it’s key for people to know that we're still very much fighting to not just retain our voting rights, yet to expand them. For me, a nation that I want to stay in [is one where] there's more participation and everybody [has] access to making the decisions that shape their lives.”