Voting Rights?

By Prentiss Smith  
May 18, 2026

For decades, I have watched America present itself as the world’s great experiment in democracy, imperfect, often hypocritical, but forever moving toward a more inclusive union. As a political chronicler and observer, I see that promise under assault.

 Across this country, Republican legislatures and conservative legal organizations are engaged in a coordinated effort to weaken, dismantle, and ultimately neutralize the protections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, one of the most important pieces of legislation ever passed in my lifetime or in American history, for that matter.

When lawmakers aggressively close polling places in Black neighborhoods, purge voter rolls, restrict mail voting, slash early voting, eliminate drop boxes, redraw districts to dilute Black political influence, and make it harder for poor and elderly citizens to vote, they are not protecting democracy. They are engineering outcomes, and that is un-democratic.

The Voting Rights Act was born out of blood, sweat and tears, mostly blood and tears. People were beaten on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Citizens were terrorized, jailed, humiliated, and murdered simply for demanding the right to vote. Black Americans were forced to guess the number of jellybeans in a jar, recite sections of the Constitution, and pay poll taxes just to participate in elections.

The Act changed America because it finally forced the nation to confront the truth: certain states could not be trusted to protect voting rights on their own. And now, sixty years later, we are watching a slow-motion attempt to return to that era, not with billy clubs and fire hoses, but with lawsuits, legislative maneuvers, and carefully crafted talking points.

The Supreme Court’s 2013 Shelby County decision opened the floodgates by gutting key enforcement provisions of the Voting Rights Act. 

It is clear to me and anyone who is objectively watching this, that the modern Republican Party understands something clearly: America is changing demographically, culturally, and politically.

Rather than expanding its appeal to meet that reality, too many Republican leaders have chosen a different strategy, reduce participation. I call it picking your voters, instead of your voters picking the politicians.

If your ideas cannot win in a fully functioning democracy, the temptation becomes limiting who gets to participate in that democracy. That is dangerous territory.

And Democrats are not blameless in this situation. They must also stop responding with weakness and procedural niceties. Stop whining, and get to work building coalitions. Voting rights cannot remain a seasonal talking point dusted off every election cycle. If democracy itself is on the line, then leaders must act like it, and give it the urgency it deserves.

I believe that Congress should restore the full power of the Voting Rights Act. Federal protections should automatically trigger when states demonstrate repeated patterns of voter suppression. Election Day should become a national holiday. Early voting should be expanded, not restricted. These are the changes that many people, including me, have asked for.

 Most importantly, Americans must understand this issue beyond partisan tribalism. Once a government gains the power to selectively suppress participation, nobody’s rights are truly safe.

History teaches us something uncomfortable: democracies rarely collapse overnight. They erode piece by piece. One court ruling. One district map. One closed polling location. One purged voter roll at a time. That’s what I am seeing every day, and it’s troubling.

Here in Louisiana, we have already seen warning signs that should concern every citizen regardless of political party. Efforts to challenge or suspend legally cast ballots after the fact, confusion surrounding voter eligibility, and constant battles over district maps all contribute to growing public distrust in the electoral process.

 And let’s be honest about who is most affected when uncertainty and barriers are introduced into voting: working people, elderly citizens, poor communities, and voters of color who often lack the resources, flexibility, or legal support to fight back. Every time legally cast votes are placed under suspicion, democracy itself suffers a wound. Let’s hope it is not a fatal wound! And that’s my take.  smithpren@aol.com 

By Carla Buntyn, Ph.D.  
May 4, 2026

As a 50-year-old Black woman, I often find myself sitting in reflection, wondering how different my understanding of life might be if I knew then what I know now.

I am part of Generation X, specifically those of us born in the mid-1970s. We grew up in a unique moment in American history, after the major victories of the Civil Rights Movement had already been won. Because of that, many of us came of age believing that the hardest battles for equality were behind us.

We entered integrated schools. We lived in neighborhoods that were more diverse than those of our parents and grandparents. We were told, directly and indirectly, that opportunity was expanding and that America was moving forward. In school, we learned about Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Fred Hampton, Stokely Carmichael, and W.E.B. Du Bois. Their struggles were powerful lessons, but to us, they were history, not our present reality.

We were taught to believe in the American Dream. We went to college, built careers, bought homes, raised families, and followed the rules. Like many others, I trusted that if you worked hard and stayed within the system, life would move in the right direction.

But life experience has a way of deepening questions you once thought were already answered.

Today, I find myself watching a country that feels more divided, not just politically, but socially and culturally in ways that are difficult to ignore. When I walk into polling places, I see how voting systems are organized around parties that often shape how people identify and separate. And over time, it has become clear that political identity and race are often discussed together in ways that reflect deeper historical divides in this country.

I also hear growing debates about whether programs like affirmative action and diversity, equity, and inclusion are still necessary. Some people believe these efforts are outdated because we are all simply Americans. Others believe they are still needed to address gaps that have never fully closed.

It is painful at times to hear terms like “reverse discrimination” used in conversations about Black Americans. From my lived experience, Black people have rarely held the majority of power in hiring, firing, or decision-making roles in most industries. Even today, Black business ownership remains very small in comparison to the overall population, around 3%, often made up of small businesses that carry significant responsibility with limited support.

As I reflect on this, I cannot ignore how history continues to shape the present. The United States was built on systems that did not originally include Black Americans as equal participants. Beginning in 1619, Black people arrived here in bondage, and the long shadow of that history still influences wealth, opportunity, and representation today.

So when I see laws, protections, and policies being debated or changed, I cannot help but ask what progress truly means, and who gets to define it.

For my generation, these are not abstract questions. We were raised to believe in equality as something already achieved, something stable. But life is now showing us that what we thought was settled may still be unsettled.

So I find myself asking: What do we do with that realization?

Do we hold on to the belief that the system will naturally correct itself over time? Or do we accept that every generation may be called to engage in the work of protecting rights and expanding opportunity?

And perhaps the deeper question is this: What is the American Dream today?

Is it simply success through hard work? Is it equal opportunity in practice, not just in theory? Or is it something we are still struggling to fully define as a nation?

I don’t claim to have all the answers. But I do know this: the conversation about equality, opportunity, and justice is not over. And for Generation X, it is becoming increasingly personal, as we realize that history is not as far behind us as we once believed.

By Carla Buntyn, Ph.D.
April 13, 2026

As the world continues to change, parts of the African American community seem to be stuck in patterns that hold us back. We still see poverty, dependence on government support, and cycles that repeat from one generation to the next. While there has been progress, it is uneven and not enough to lift everyone forward.

Positive changes are happening. Many African American students are going to HBCUs and Ivy League schools, while others are choosing trade and technical schools to learn skills that lead directly to jobs and careers. These are important steps. Still, they only represent a portion of the community. African Americans make up about 12.4% of the U.S. population, and in Louisiana, about 1.4 to 1.5 million African Americans live in the state. Many families still live in public or government-assisted housing, showing that there is still a major gap in opportunity and income.

The economic numbers help tell the story. Nationally, only about 8% to 12% of Black households earn $100,000 or more, and this varies by state. In Louisiana, the median income for Black households is about $36,000 to $39,000. This means most Black families in the state are earning far below $100,000, showing how limited access to wealth still is.

We all feel that the opportunities people once had may be slowly disappearing. If African Americans do not recognize it today, it is that the cycle of struggle can only be broken by us. Change has to start now, with this generation taking responsibility for what comes next.

In Louisiana, African Americans make up almost one-third of the population. Even so, many are still connected to systems that were not designed to help families build long-term independence. We talk about democracy, freedom, and a better life, but our reality does not always match those ideas. The numbers show us the truth about where we are and what still needs to change.

There was a time when the fight was clear: civil rights, fair housing, education, and equal opportunity. That fight took courage, unity, and sacrifice. Today, we honor that history, but we also have to ask if we are continuing the work or just remembering it.

In some ways, people have become used to systems that earlier generations once fought to change. The struggle used to be about gaining freedom and independence. Now, many people depend on those same systems instead of building something stronger for the future. This is not just about money, it is also about mindset and choices.

This does not mean everyone faces the same challenges. Many people still deal with unfair barriers, and inequality is still real. But history shows us that change has never come without effort. It comes when people organize, speak up, and work together.

So the question is: what do we do now?

We cannot just celebrate the past and ignore the present. The work of previous generations created opportunities for us. Now it is our responsibility to use those opportunities, build wealth, focus on education, support each other, and make better choices for the future.

We honor the people who came before us, but we also have to live out the courage they showed.

At some point, we have to move from depending on systems to building our own strength. From just surviving to planning and growing. From remembering the struggle to continuing the work.

Because the truth is simple: the fight did not end.

And if we are honest, it never will.

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