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Amanda Jones, 109, the daughter of a man born into slavery, has lived a life long enough to touch three centuries. And after voting consistently as a Democrat for 70 years, she has voted early for the country's first black presidential nominee. . . .Jones, a delicate, thin woman wearing golden-rimmed glasses, giggled as the family discussed this year's presidential election. She is too weak to go the polls, so two of her 10 children — Eloise Baker, 75, and Joyce Jones — helped her fill out a mail-in ballot for Barack Obama, Baker said. "I feel good about voting for him," Amanda Jones said.
Jones' father herded sheep as a slave until he was 12, according to the family, and once he was freed, he was a farmer who raised cows, hogs and turkeys on land he owned. Her mother was born right after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, Joyce Jones said. The family owned more than 100 acres of land in Cedar Creek at one point, she said.
Amanda Jones' father urged her to exercise her right to vote, despite discriminatory practices at the polls and poll taxes meant to keep black and poor people from voting. Those practices were outlawed for federal elections with the 24th Amendment in 1964, but not for state and local races in Texas until 1966.
Amanda Jones says she cast her first presidential vote for Franklin Roosevelt, but she doesn't recall which of his four terms that was. When she did vote, she paid a poll tax, her daughters said.
Think about what tremendous change this woman has seen. Her father, who was born into slavery because of his race, lives to see the day when a black man can become President.
(HT Concurring Opinions)
1 comment:
This is part of the promise of an Obama presidency. An Obama presidency would do more to heal the racial wounds in this country than just about anything else imaginable.
I have seen firsthand with some African American friends how much pride the Obama candidacy brings them; it's really remarkable.
Some deeper thinkers than myself have said that if Obama wins, his swearing in will mark the true end of the American Civil War.
This is one issue at stake in this election: given the race baiting used against him, and some of the hateful and racist smears, anything less than an Obama victory would be a victory for the forces of repression and darkness.
And really, not only should Obama win, but ideally it should be a big enough win to repudiate the utterly disgusting campaign that has been run against him.
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