Audrey Johnson

2, Adamsville, 35005,Alabama, United States.

3rd February 1910

Dear resident,

! am "ritin# this letter to you to ma$e you in%orm you about thein&usti'es bla'$ (eo(le are %a'in# in this un&ust so'iety. ! "ould thatby the time ! have #rand'hildren, ! "ould li$e them to live in a %reeand &ust Ameri'a "here everyone is #iven the res(e't they deserveand are treated as e)uals. ! "ant my #randdau#hter to be able tovote li$e other and not be dis'riminated a#ainst. She should have allthe ri#ht to vote %or the 'ountry that she lives in.

Sin'e 1*90, us bla'$ Ameri'ans have been se(arated %orm the"hites throu#h the Jim +ro" la"s. e are denied a''ess to lo'al%a'ilities that are used by "hites. -ur 'hildren 'annot even beedu'ated "ith the "hite Ameri'ans. e are (ut to shame "herever"e #o, "hether "e have done anythin# "ron# or not. oreover, onthe bus "e have to sit in a se(arate se'tion, a"ay %rom the /"hiteonly one. ven health'are is denied in the same area as a "hite (erson. e haven t 'ommitted any 'rime to be treated in this harsh manner. os(itals %or bla'$s are limited and they are understa4edand under%unded. here "as also a situation that in an emer#en'ysituation, the %uneral home "as 'alled but "hen the %ound out the(atient "as a bla'$ (erson, they re%used to ta$e them to thehos(ital. !t "as a situation o% li%e and death, yet these la"s (rohibitone %rom hel(in# another human bein#6 no matter the 'olor o% theirs$in.

7ut that is not it. his se#re#ation is not &ust a le#al matter8 thisslo"ly has be'ome the mindset and attitude o% (eo(le. hite (eo(le

&ud#e us on the "ay "e eat, sit, "al$ and even tal$. hey re%use tosho" us res(e't and do not even 'all us by titles li$e / r. or / rs. . e 'annot eat in the same dinin# room and even the $ids $no" o%their su(eriority. oreover, there is a la" $no"n as Anti6is'e#enation la"s (revent interra'ial marria#e6 bla'$s 'annotmarry "hites and "hites 'annot marry bla'$s. his is un%air andsho"s ho" so'iety is su((osed to behave based on a la". Althou#hthey say that the slave days are over, "e are still used as domesti'hel( as "e 'annot #et em(loyed any"here else "ithout %a'in# a too% di 'ulty. Se'ondly, "e are stereoty(ed at every (ossibility thereis. he most 'ommon one is the /#ood old6time ne#ro . he "hites assume that "e are ha((y to serve "hit (eo(le and are satis:ed"ith our role in this se#re#ated so'iety. o"ever, this is not at alltrue. e are holdin# in our an#er be'ause "e $no" that there are

not that many o% us to ma$e a 'han#e and be'ause "e don t have as(e'i:' leader. hey deny &obs to the bla'$s that have hi#heras(irations and are not 'ontent "ith this stereoty(e. his is horriblyun%air and doesn t (romote e)uality as it should be and ne#ates thereli#ious statement that /everyone is e)ual in the eyes o% #od .

Furthermore, under the 15 th amendment, bla'$ (eo(le li$e me hadthe ri#ht to vote. 7ut the southern states (lanned to ta$e a"ay allour votin# rites by disen%ran'hisin# the lo'al bla'$ (o(ulation. Somestates introdu'ed a /;rand%ather 'lause , "hi'h meant that "e"ould have the ri#ht to vote only i% our #rand%athers had voted.o"ever, this is un%air on us bla'$s be'ause our an'estors had beenslaves and "ouldn t have had votin# ri#hts in their times meanin#that "e "ouldn t be able to vote either and neither "ould our#rand'hildren. A''ordin# to the 15 th amendment, <ri#ht o% 'iti ens o% the United States to vote shall not be denied or abrid#ed by theUnited States or by any state on a''ount o% ra'e, 'olor, or (revious'ondition o% servitude.< his 'learly states that no individual "ill bedis'riminated u(on in re#ards to votin# (ro'edures. o"ever, thesesouthern states %ound a loo(hole li$e the /;rand%ather 'lause andsome states introdu'ed litera'y tests as a ne'essary 'riterion inorder to be able to vote. 7ut these tests "ere not %airly a((lied, as it"as hard %or (eo(le li$e me to #o the test 'enter and return "ithoutta$in# the test and in a beaten u( 'ondition. ven hi#hly edu'atedbla'$s "ere disen%ran'hised sho"in# that these la"s may not havebeen ra'ist, ho"ever they served their (ur(ose6 (reventin# bla'$Ameri'ans %rom votin#.as

=astly,