Historical Touchpoints
In 1776 voting rights were narrowly and specifically defined, “Only men who owned property, who were white, Christian, and over 21, have the right to vote.”
By 1856 all white men, land owning or not, got a right to vote.
In 1965 black people were fighting to pass the Voting Rights Act to allow all black people to vote. William F. Buckley, a chief architect of the modern republican party said, “Actually what is wrong in Mississippi is not that not enough Negroes are voting but too many white people are voting. If I were myself a constituent of the community of Mississippi I at this moment what I would do is vote to lift the standards of the vote so as to disqualify 65% of the white people who are currently voting.”
In 2020, the modern repulican party is using conspiracy theories, modern diffuse advertising, and state-level legal maneuvers to invalidate or discourage votes of voters they don’t like and enrage voters they think will vote for them.
In spite of losing some struggles, I would argue that today equity is winning. It is clear that the struggle of ideas to bend the moral arc of the universe is fighting hard and gaining power. At work, at home, and yes, in our body politic, marginalized groups are coming together to declare their rights as narrowly and confidently as white men did in 1776. These marginalized groups declaring their experience just as relevant to system leadership, systemic change, and cultural dialogue as white men who voted in 1776 is in fact a radical and inclusive act.
A New Power Mantra Emerges
A new mantra is emerging across the country. It is one that states that the unique way I experience the world in my body deserves to be taken as seriously as we have taken the experiences of white men. It also states that I have the right to be in coalition with like-minded people of all races, genders, and backgrounds. I have the right to voice facts and opinions based on my experiences and identities at the ballot box, at a town hall meeting, and/or at my workplace.
I Am Mantra
I am an 18 year old Asian-American Women, I am a 60 year old Lesbian Black women, I am a Trans Latinx men, I am native, I am disabled. And I have the right to define the policies that would help me and my community and the right to expect progress toward those policies from my representatives.
I define my identity and I walk in my own power and the power of my community and ancestors.
What is next?
Normalizing discussions about systemic racism, sexism, ableism, etc is on the top of my personal agenda as a leader and strategy consultant. Helping leaders create systems that center the experiences of marginalized colleagues, friends, and communities working together to demand equity and improve system resilience. At the same time, leaders across the public and private sector should build inclusive visions that can pass the test of race, class, and gender analyses because this is how multiracial organizations of the future will win.
The election is an exciting opportunity to start our plans anew. And I’m telling you, when private and public sector leaders really believe everyone is actually equal, make sure their systems produce equitable outcomes, and that public and private policies address unique intersections, we will create the more just and inclusive world we seek and our success at home and around the world will grow.
