The 15th Amendment was ratified. The 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted African American men the right to vote by declaring that the “right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
Although ratified on February 3, 1870, the promise of the 15th Amendment would not be fully realized for almost a century. Through the use of poll taxes, literacy tests and other means, Southern states were able to effectively disenfranchise African Americans.
It would take the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 before the majority of African Americans in the South were registered to vote.
“I add my voice and condemn racism in all its forms.” – Most Rev. Frank J. Dewane
What Is Racism?
Racism arises when—either consciously or unconsciously—a person holds that his or her
own race or ethnicity is superior, and therefore judges persons of other races or ethnicities as
inferior and unworthy of equal regard. – USCCB 2018 Pastoral Letter on Racism, Open Wide Our Hearts.
