Joyce A. Ladner
Sarasota, Florida
November 1, 2004
Dear Family and Friends,
I know you have been inundated by a barrage of campaign information. While it has been emphasized by all that “this is the most important election in our lifetimes,” the truth is that it is! And it's not too late to contact a voter and help to make the difference in what will surely be a close and heavily contested election on all fronts.
I write to you about the importance of not only casting your vote tomorrow, but also being responsible for getting at least one person to the polls. As a lifelong civil rights activist who was denied the right to vote in 1964 in my native Mississippi, I never thought I would live to see the day when once again, the right to vote would be in peril almost nationwide. The arsenal of dirty tricks being launched to disenfranchise people of color (and others opposed to the current administration) rekindles the darkest hours of our struggle four decades ago!
I urge each of you to think for a moment about how critical voter registration and voting are to you as well. I still remember the day the Forrest County registrar, Therron Lynd, ruled that I failed the voter registration test. Although I was a senior in college, I was unable to pass the literacy test that included interpreting several sections of the U.S. Constitution. I was eventually registered by a federal court order that ruled against the notorious Mr. Lynd.
To all my civil rights activist compatriots, I realize I am preaching to the choir and in some cases, other preachers! However, if we consider that our commitment to civil and human rights goes beyond casting our own votes, our struggle for the right to vote still extends to those who need help to get to the polls. Just as we did in the sixties in the Deep South, we should do no less in this election. Personally, I support Senator John Kerry because I believe he offers the only viable alternative. Some of you may support Ralph Nader or other candidates, or plan not to vote at all, but too much hangs in the balance to fail to use a precious vote just to make a “statement” about the quality of the available options.
Please remember the struggle to get Black people registered to vote by the Lowndes County Black Panther Party, or the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. Let us never forget that Herbert Lee, Vernon Dahmer, Viola Liuzzo, Johnathan Daniel, and many, many others were murdered for the right to vote. We owe too much to their sacrifice not to do whatever we can to turn the tide in this pivotal election where all that we fought for is being challenged by the stealthiest of enemies. We cannot retreat – now or ever!
The struggle continues! Please vote and bring another voter to vote!
Joyce Ladner
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