1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 2 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 3 00:00:31,157 --> 00:00:33,284 ♪ ♪ 4 00:00:34,660 --> 00:00:36,287 NEWSWOMAN: It might be a race 5 00:00:36,370 --> 00:00:38,247 for the Governor’s Mansion in Georgia, 6 00:00:38,330 --> 00:00:41,375 but this is one that the entire country is watching. 7 00:00:41,459 --> 00:00:43,419 NEWSWOMAN: And if ever one vote counted, 8 00:00:43,502 --> 00:00:46,338 it certainly is going to count in this particular race. 9 00:00:52,762 --> 00:00:55,514 CROWD (chanting): Stacey! Stacey! Stacey! 10 00:00:55,598 --> 00:00:58,142 -Stacey! Stacey! Stacey! -(cheering) 11 00:00:58,225 --> 00:01:00,436 NEWSWOMAN: The controversy surrounding 12 00:01:00,519 --> 00:01:02,730 Georgia’s governor’s race is not dying down. 13 00:01:02,813 --> 00:01:04,523 Both candidates dug in today. 14 00:01:04,607 --> 00:01:06,108 NEWSWOMAN: Republican Brian Kemp 15 00:01:06,192 --> 00:01:11,030 and Democrat Stacey Abrams are locked in a virtual dead heat. 16 00:01:11,113 --> 00:01:12,114 NEWSWOMAN: Everybody wants to know 17 00:01:12,198 --> 00:01:13,199 what’s happening in Georgia. 18 00:01:13,282 --> 00:01:14,450 Still a toss-up there, as we’re waiting 19 00:01:14,533 --> 00:01:16,076 for a number of votes to come in. 20 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:19,121 They believe there are tens of thousands of absentee ballots 21 00:01:19,205 --> 00:01:21,165 that have not yet been counted. 22 00:01:21,248 --> 00:01:23,375 NEWSWOMAN: Voter suppression has become 23 00:01:23,459 --> 00:01:24,835 a national talking point, 24 00:01:24,919 --> 00:01:28,005 and Brian Kemp has become a focal point. 25 00:01:28,088 --> 00:01:31,592 All of the votes in this race have not been counted. 26 00:01:31,675 --> 00:01:34,178 BRIAN KEMP: On Tuesday, as you know, we earned 27 00:01:34,261 --> 00:01:36,972 a clear and convincing victory at the ballot box, 28 00:01:37,056 --> 00:01:40,017 and today we’re beginning the transition process. 29 00:01:40,810 --> 00:01:42,353 NEWSMAN: Kemp was leading 30 00:01:42,436 --> 00:01:43,687 Democratic opponent Stacey Abrams 31 00:01:43,771 --> 00:01:46,774 by a narrow margin, and it grew more and more narrow 32 00:01:46,857 --> 00:01:48,734 in the days following the election. 33 00:01:48,818 --> 00:01:50,611 Abrams filed multiple lawsuits 34 00:01:50,694 --> 00:01:53,113 but ultimately dropped out of the race. 35 00:01:53,197 --> 00:01:54,615 STACEY ABRAMS: I acknowledge 36 00:01:54,698 --> 00:01:57,493 that former Secretary of State Brian Kemp 37 00:01:57,576 --> 00:01:59,161 will be certified as the victor 38 00:01:59,245 --> 00:02:01,789 in the 2018 gubernatorial election. 39 00:02:01,872 --> 00:02:04,166 But to watch an elected official 40 00:02:04,250 --> 00:02:07,086 who claims to represent the people and the state 41 00:02:07,169 --> 00:02:10,089 baldly pin his hopes for election on the suppression 42 00:02:10,172 --> 00:02:12,508 of the people’s democratic right to vote 43 00:02:12,591 --> 00:02:14,510 has been truly appalling. 44 00:02:14,593 --> 00:02:16,053 So, let’s be clear. 45 00:02:16,136 --> 00:02:18,764 This is not a speech of concession. 46 00:02:18,848 --> 00:02:20,724 Because concession means to acknowledge 47 00:02:20,808 --> 00:02:24,144 an action is right, true or proper. 48 00:02:24,228 --> 00:02:26,272 As a woman of conscience and faith, 49 00:02:26,355 --> 00:02:29,316 I cannot concede that. 50 00:02:43,706 --> 00:02:44,874 (beeps) 51 00:02:44,957 --> 00:02:47,084 ♪ ♪ 52 00:02:58,053 --> 00:03:00,097 ABRAMS: The fundamental power of democracy 53 00:03:00,180 --> 00:03:02,099 lies in the right to vote. 54 00:03:02,182 --> 00:03:03,767 If you protect that right, 55 00:03:03,851 --> 00:03:06,437 you create possibilities for everything else. 56 00:03:09,106 --> 00:03:12,568 Too many Americans take for granted the right to vote 57 00:03:12,651 --> 00:03:14,403 and don’t understand that 58 00:03:14,486 --> 00:03:16,780 unless we fight for the right to vote, 59 00:03:16,864 --> 00:03:20,326 unless we try to include as many people as possible, 60 00:03:20,409 --> 00:03:24,413 our democracy is put at risk. 61 00:03:24,496 --> 00:03:28,000 CAROL ANDERSON: This right to vote is bloody. 62 00:03:28,083 --> 00:03:29,877 It is contested. 63 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:34,673 And the reason it is contested is because the vote matters. 64 00:03:41,013 --> 00:03:42,556 ♪ ♪ 65 00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:44,934 ♪ Register, inform yourself and vote ♪ 66 00:03:45,017 --> 00:03:48,562 ♪ Register, inform yourself and vote ♪ 67 00:03:48,646 --> 00:03:50,439 ♪ A country doesn’t run itself ♪ 68 00:03:50,522 --> 00:03:52,066 ♪ Every voter is a help... ♪ 69 00:03:52,149 --> 00:03:53,525 ABRAMS: There are those who argue 70 00:03:53,609 --> 00:03:56,111 that America is not a democracy or a republic. 71 00:03:56,195 --> 00:03:57,863 We are a democratic republic 72 00:03:57,947 --> 00:04:01,659 because we use democracy to elect our representatives. 73 00:04:01,742 --> 00:04:04,078 ♪ ♪ 74 00:04:04,161 --> 00:04:05,621 FRANCES FOX PIVEN: What is democracy? 75 00:04:05,704 --> 00:04:08,916 Democracy is a system in which the voters 76 00:04:08,999 --> 00:04:11,710 choose the people that govern them. 77 00:04:11,794 --> 00:04:14,338 I vote for every, every election. 78 00:04:14,421 --> 00:04:15,881 I don’t care what it is. 79 00:04:15,965 --> 00:04:17,466 I don’t miss voting. 80 00:04:17,549 --> 00:04:20,636 And my voice, I want to be heard. 81 00:04:20,719 --> 00:04:22,596 That’s what it’s supposed to be. 82 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:25,599 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she is determined 83 00:04:25,683 --> 00:04:28,894 to push for mail-in voting across the country 84 00:04:28,978 --> 00:04:30,980 in the next relief bill. 85 00:04:31,063 --> 00:04:33,607 DONALD TRUMP: The things they had in there were crazy. 86 00:04:33,691 --> 00:04:35,234 Uh, they had things, uh, 87 00:04:35,317 --> 00:04:37,569 levels of voting that, if you ever agreed to it, 88 00:04:37,653 --> 00:04:40,990 you’d never have a Republican elected in this country again. 89 00:04:41,073 --> 00:04:43,075 When elected officials feel like they may not have 90 00:04:43,158 --> 00:04:45,285 the power anymore, they have two choices. 91 00:04:45,369 --> 00:04:48,247 They can either be more responsive to those they lead, 92 00:04:48,330 --> 00:04:49,873 or they can eliminate the people 93 00:04:49,957 --> 00:04:51,417 they have to answer to. 94 00:04:51,500 --> 00:04:54,003 I registered to vote at DMV about nine months ago. 95 00:04:54,086 --> 00:04:56,755 I found out three weeks ago that I wasn’t registered. 96 00:04:56,839 --> 00:04:57,881 MICHAEL WALDMAN: Progress doesn’t only 97 00:04:57,965 --> 00:04:59,425 go in one direction. 98 00:04:59,508 --> 00:05:02,052 We’ve had expansions of American democracy, 99 00:05:02,136 --> 00:05:04,179 but we’ve also had times when things have moved backwards, 100 00:05:04,263 --> 00:05:05,931 where people have lost the right to vote. 101 00:05:06,015 --> 00:05:09,893 DIANE SAWYER: A monumental decision by the Supreme Court, 102 00:05:09,977 --> 00:05:12,187 changing the Voting Rights Act, 103 00:05:12,271 --> 00:05:14,606 the law of the land for 48 years. 104 00:05:14,690 --> 00:05:16,567 WALDMAN: History is never a straight line. 105 00:05:16,650 --> 00:05:18,694 It’s always a fight. 106 00:05:18,777 --> 00:05:20,446 JAYLA ALLEN: If everybody’s vote 107 00:05:20,529 --> 00:05:21,989 was important and equal, 108 00:05:22,072 --> 00:05:24,658 then why are certain people 109 00:05:24,742 --> 00:05:27,202 in certain areas, of certain backgrounds, 110 00:05:27,286 --> 00:05:29,163 why is their vote being limited? 111 00:05:29,246 --> 00:05:31,165 -CROWD: We’re here to stay! -NEWSMAN: Now, some call it 112 00:05:31,248 --> 00:05:33,584 a safeguard for the integrity of New Hampshire elections. 113 00:05:33,667 --> 00:05:35,169 Others see it as a political ploy 114 00:05:35,252 --> 00:05:36,920 to try and keep voters away from the polls. 115 00:05:37,004 --> 00:05:38,505 ANN COULTER: I just think it should be 116 00:05:38,589 --> 00:05:39,882 a little more difficult to vote. 117 00:05:39,965 --> 00:05:40,966 There’s nothing unconstitutional 118 00:05:41,050 --> 00:05:43,135 about-about literacy tests. 119 00:05:43,218 --> 00:05:45,929 The fight over voting rights is ultimately about power. 120 00:05:46,013 --> 00:05:47,347 Districts have been scrambled 121 00:05:47,431 --> 00:05:49,391 all over the state of Texas in the past, 122 00:05:49,475 --> 00:05:51,977 and they elected white people and nobody questioned it. 123 00:05:52,061 --> 00:05:53,353 INTERVIEWER: Do you believe that 124 00:05:53,437 --> 00:05:55,272 democracy exists in America? 125 00:05:55,355 --> 00:05:57,357 Well, I’ve lived in America all my life, 126 00:05:57,441 --> 00:05:58,942 and I’ve never seen democracy yet, 127 00:05:59,026 --> 00:06:00,986 so I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. 128 00:06:01,070 --> 00:06:03,989 People in Washington know nothing about reality. 129 00:06:04,073 --> 00:06:05,991 They know nothing about what’s happening 130 00:06:06,075 --> 00:06:07,826 to little people in the community. 131 00:06:07,910 --> 00:06:09,328 But you add it all up, and all of a sudden, 132 00:06:09,411 --> 00:06:10,412 p-people look at their government, 133 00:06:10,496 --> 00:06:11,497 think, "It doesn’t represent me." 134 00:06:11,580 --> 00:06:13,290 And in many cases these days, uh, 135 00:06:13,373 --> 00:06:15,084 for a lot of reasons, it really doesn’t. 136 00:06:15,167 --> 00:06:16,794 NEWSWOMAN: In Wisconsin, voters headed 137 00:06:16,877 --> 00:06:19,088 to the polls today, the first state 138 00:06:19,171 --> 00:06:22,257 to hold a major election with in-person voting 139 00:06:22,341 --> 00:06:24,093 in the midst of a stay-at-home order. 140 00:06:24,176 --> 00:06:28,430 Do they expect us to go against public safety? 141 00:06:28,514 --> 00:06:30,182 The United States is the only country 142 00:06:30,265 --> 00:06:33,727 that makes it so difficult for communities to own their power 143 00:06:33,811 --> 00:06:35,938 by requiring them to jump through hoops 144 00:06:36,021 --> 00:06:39,024 to simply participate in basic elections. 145 00:06:39,108 --> 00:06:41,777 It’s pernicious because it convinces you 146 00:06:41,860 --> 00:06:43,737 that maybe it’s not worth trying again. 147 00:06:43,821 --> 00:06:47,533 And when entire communities become convinced 148 00:06:47,616 --> 00:06:49,701 that the process is not for them, 149 00:06:49,785 --> 00:06:51,995 we lose their participation in our nation’s future, 150 00:06:52,079 --> 00:06:53,914 and that’s dangerous to everyone. 151 00:07:06,343 --> 00:07:10,097 ANDERSON: You cannot understand where we are right now 152 00:07:10,180 --> 00:07:13,016 unless you understand the history of voting rights 153 00:07:13,100 --> 00:07:15,310 and the struggle for voting rights. 154 00:07:18,814 --> 00:07:21,316 Past is prologue. 155 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:25,863 Those forces that are systematically determined 156 00:07:25,946 --> 00:07:29,700 to keep American citizens from voting, 157 00:07:29,783 --> 00:07:33,829 they have been laying the seeds over time. 158 00:07:35,330 --> 00:07:38,292 When we started as a country, it wasn’t really anything 159 00:07:38,375 --> 00:07:40,419 like what we would consider a democracy. 160 00:07:40,502 --> 00:07:42,546 Only white men who owned property 161 00:07:42,629 --> 00:07:44,131 had the right to vote. 162 00:07:44,214 --> 00:07:48,594 That was a very small segment of the country even then. 163 00:07:48,677 --> 00:07:51,513 The Constitution begins with the words, "We the people." 164 00:07:51,597 --> 00:07:54,766 And yet, who were the people? 165 00:07:54,850 --> 00:07:59,479 It doesn’t include slaves. It doesn’t include women. 166 00:07:59,563 --> 00:08:02,357 Doesn’t include Native Americans. 167 00:08:02,441 --> 00:08:04,234 Doesn’t include young people. 168 00:08:04,318 --> 00:08:07,654 So, the notion of "the people" is very restricted. 169 00:08:07,738 --> 00:08:09,698 ANDERSON: You won’t find sitting anywhere 170 00:08:09,781 --> 00:08:13,118 in the articles of the Constitution where it says, 171 00:08:13,202 --> 00:08:15,871 "American citizens have the right to vote." 172 00:08:16,914 --> 00:08:18,874 When you have the-the founders 173 00:08:18,957 --> 00:08:20,876 writing in the language of Enlightenment, 174 00:08:20,959 --> 00:08:23,295 dealing with getting rid of monarchy 175 00:08:23,378 --> 00:08:24,963 and getting rid of kings 176 00:08:25,047 --> 00:08:28,967 and-and having this wonderful, beautiful republic, 177 00:08:29,051 --> 00:08:34,139 and then you have six percent who are eligible to vote. 178 00:08:35,974 --> 00:08:39,102 White male property owners. 179 00:08:42,898 --> 00:08:46,610 It tells you we had a lot of work to do. 180 00:08:50,489 --> 00:08:52,574 ♪ ♪ 181 00:08:56,203 --> 00:08:58,872 ABRAMS: I grew up in Gulfport, Mississippi. 182 00:08:58,956 --> 00:09:00,916 My dad was a shipyard worker. 183 00:09:00,999 --> 00:09:04,920 My mom was the head librarian at William Carey College. 184 00:09:05,003 --> 00:09:07,589 Both of my parents were first in their family. 185 00:09:07,673 --> 00:09:09,925 My mom’s the only one of her siblings 186 00:09:10,008 --> 00:09:12,844 to finish high school and, let alone, go to grad school. 187 00:09:12,928 --> 00:09:15,764 My dad was the first man in his family to go to college. 188 00:09:15,847 --> 00:09:17,891 ♪ ♪ 189 00:09:19,351 --> 00:09:21,812 My mom and dad were very prolific. 190 00:09:21,895 --> 00:09:25,649 I am the second of six children. 191 00:09:25,732 --> 00:09:27,901 My parents were very intentional with us. 192 00:09:27,985 --> 00:09:29,236 And we had three jobs. 193 00:09:29,319 --> 00:09:30,779 You had to go to church. 194 00:09:30,862 --> 00:09:31,863 Had to go to church. 195 00:09:31,947 --> 00:09:33,490 And you had to go to school. 196 00:09:33,573 --> 00:09:35,117 Go to school and take care of each other. 197 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:37,452 And in the meantime, you had to do something 198 00:09:37,536 --> 00:09:39,496 -to help someone else. -Help somebody else. 199 00:09:39,579 --> 00:09:41,248 ABRAMS: We would volunteer 200 00:09:41,331 --> 00:09:43,667 at soup kitchens and homeless shelters. 201 00:09:43,750 --> 00:09:46,086 If there was someone in need, my parents found a way 202 00:09:46,169 --> 00:09:47,921 to make sure we were there to help. 203 00:09:48,005 --> 00:09:49,298 Which was odd to us because, 204 00:09:49,381 --> 00:09:51,174 we would point out, we were poor, too. 205 00:09:51,258 --> 00:09:53,176 Why are we serving other people? 206 00:09:54,428 --> 00:09:55,846 They would say, "Having nothing 207 00:09:55,929 --> 00:09:57,848 is not an excuse for doing nothing." 208 00:09:57,931 --> 00:09:59,516 CAROLYN: And I’ll tell you what, 209 00:09:59,599 --> 00:10:01,685 when those kids were growing up, 210 00:10:01,768 --> 00:10:04,980 every time we voted, we took them with us, 211 00:10:05,063 --> 00:10:07,941 and they saw us cast our ballot. 212 00:10:08,025 --> 00:10:10,277 ABRAMS: And we’d sort of trail out of the voting booth 213 00:10:10,360 --> 00:10:11,486 like Make Way for Ducklings 214 00:10:11,570 --> 00:10:13,363 because there were so many of us. 215 00:10:13,447 --> 00:10:16,950 But they wanted us to see them in the act of casting a vote. 216 00:10:17,034 --> 00:10:19,286 ♪ ♪ 217 00:10:22,205 --> 00:10:26,126 My parents were admitted to Emory University in 1989 218 00:10:26,209 --> 00:10:29,463 to become United Methodist ministers. 219 00:10:29,546 --> 00:10:33,175 I was 15, so I was unhappy with the world around me, 220 00:10:33,258 --> 00:10:36,928 so I was very excited about moving to Atlanta. 221 00:10:37,012 --> 00:10:39,264 I attended Avondale High School, 222 00:10:39,348 --> 00:10:43,101 and I became the valedictorian of my high school. 223 00:10:45,062 --> 00:10:47,147 When you’re valedictorian in Georgia, 224 00:10:47,230 --> 00:10:51,193 you get invited to meet the governor of Georgia. 225 00:10:58,075 --> 00:10:59,743 It was a Sunday morning. 226 00:10:59,826 --> 00:11:03,205 We got dressed, put on our best clothes 227 00:11:03,288 --> 00:11:08,126 and got on the bus because we didn’t have a car. 228 00:11:10,796 --> 00:11:13,423 We get to the guard gate, and the guard looks at me, 229 00:11:13,507 --> 00:11:15,550 and he looks at my parents, and he says, 230 00:11:15,634 --> 00:11:18,428 "This is a private event. You don’t belong here." 231 00:11:18,512 --> 00:11:20,472 My dad says, "No, no, this is my daughter Stacey. 232 00:11:20,555 --> 00:11:22,015 She’s one of the valedictorians." 233 00:11:22,099 --> 00:11:24,935 But the guard doesn’t check his checklist. 234 00:11:25,018 --> 00:11:27,604 He instead... I remember very clearly 235 00:11:27,687 --> 00:11:31,775 him looking over our shoulders at the bus that’s pulling away, 236 00:11:31,858 --> 00:11:33,819 and he looks back at us, and he basically says, 237 00:11:33,902 --> 00:11:37,406 he’s like, "No," like, "you don’t belong here." 238 00:11:41,785 --> 00:11:43,870 The story he told himself was that 239 00:11:43,954 --> 00:11:46,706 these three Black people getting off a bus, 240 00:11:46,790 --> 00:11:50,752 they can’t possibly belong in the Governor’s Mansion 241 00:11:50,836 --> 00:11:53,797 on this day that’s celebrating success and opportunity. 242 00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:56,216 -♪ Let ’em know ♪ -♪ Uh, yeah, we winnin’ now ♪ 243 00:11:56,299 --> 00:11:58,635 ♪ Yeah, we risin’ to the top, new beginning now ♪ 244 00:11:58,718 --> 00:12:00,178 -♪ Yeah ♪ -♪ And we never gonna stop ♪ 245 00:12:00,262 --> 00:12:01,721 ♪ Yeah, we grinnin’ now ♪ 246 00:12:01,805 --> 00:12:03,098 ♪ Never been here, wow ♪ 247 00:12:03,181 --> 00:12:05,267 ♪ But we in here now, holla black, yeah... ♪ 248 00:12:05,350 --> 00:12:07,727 ABRAMS: My parents had a very engaged 249 00:12:07,811 --> 00:12:09,479 and spirited discussion with this gentleman 250 00:12:09,563 --> 00:12:10,939 about his decision-making skills, 251 00:12:11,022 --> 00:12:12,482 about his reading comprehension. 252 00:12:12,566 --> 00:12:13,984 Robert had to have a few choice words. 253 00:12:14,067 --> 00:12:16,611 It was explained to him in a certain way that, 254 00:12:16,695 --> 00:12:18,155 if you want to stay healthy... 255 00:12:18,238 --> 00:12:19,823 -Well... -...you look at the list. 256 00:12:19,906 --> 00:12:21,992 I won’t go no further than that. 257 00:12:22,075 --> 00:12:23,869 ♪ Yeah, we’re here now, uh, uh ♪ 258 00:12:23,952 --> 00:12:25,287 ♪ Yeah, we’re here now... ♪ 259 00:12:25,370 --> 00:12:26,913 ABRAMS: What I remember about that day 260 00:12:26,997 --> 00:12:28,999 is not meeting the governor. 261 00:12:29,082 --> 00:12:31,793 Don’t remember meeting my fellow valedictorians. 262 00:12:33,003 --> 00:12:35,088 All I remember is this man standing in front 263 00:12:35,172 --> 00:12:37,048 of the most powerful place in Georgia, 264 00:12:37,132 --> 00:12:39,176 telling me I don’t belong inside. 265 00:12:39,259 --> 00:12:42,471 And that was my first encounter with the governor of Georgia. 266 00:12:42,554 --> 00:12:45,140 ♪ Stand up, stand up, stand up ♪ 267 00:12:45,223 --> 00:12:48,977 ♪ No time to hide, we can’t be denied, nah. ♪ 268 00:12:49,060 --> 00:12:53,482 It never occurred to me to think I could be governor. 269 00:12:53,565 --> 00:12:56,026 I had simply never seen it. 270 00:12:56,109 --> 00:12:57,611 When I started running, 271 00:12:57,694 --> 00:13:00,697 that story for me was an important narrative 272 00:13:00,780 --> 00:13:02,574 because it reminded people that, 273 00:13:02,657 --> 00:13:04,659 just as I was told I don’t belong here, 274 00:13:04,743 --> 00:13:09,080 so much of what voting is about is whether you belong, 275 00:13:09,164 --> 00:13:10,707 whether you have value. 276 00:13:13,710 --> 00:13:16,963 James Baldwin said that "people are trapped in history 277 00:13:17,047 --> 00:13:19,299 and history is trapped in people." 278 00:13:19,382 --> 00:13:22,344 We can’t escape where we come from, 279 00:13:22,427 --> 00:13:23,929 but it’s our responsibility 280 00:13:24,012 --> 00:13:26,681 to reshape what that story looks like. 281 00:13:30,268 --> 00:13:31,937 ERIC FONER: After the Civil War, 282 00:13:32,020 --> 00:13:36,983 the number-one question was: What is gonna replace slavery? 283 00:13:37,067 --> 00:13:39,361 What system of labor? What system of politics? 284 00:13:39,444 --> 00:13:41,947 What system of race relations? 285 00:13:42,030 --> 00:13:44,658 Reconstruction is the nation’s effort 286 00:13:44,741 --> 00:13:49,079 to come to terms with the abolition of slavery. 287 00:13:51,456 --> 00:13:53,166 ANDERSON: They were trying to figure out, 288 00:13:53,250 --> 00:13:55,001 "How do we heal this nation? 289 00:13:55,085 --> 00:13:56,711 How do we stitch it back together?" 290 00:13:56,795 --> 00:13:59,839 And then you’ve got four million freed people. 291 00:13:59,923 --> 00:14:01,550 "How do we do this?" 292 00:14:05,595 --> 00:14:08,890 FONER: The three amendments-- the 13th, 14th and 15th-- 293 00:14:08,974 --> 00:14:11,142 were not just small-scale changes 294 00:14:11,226 --> 00:14:13,395 in an existing structure. 295 00:14:15,355 --> 00:14:18,275 They made the Constitution, for the first time, 296 00:14:18,358 --> 00:14:22,779 a vehicle through which people could claim greater equality. 297 00:14:22,862 --> 00:14:25,532 They actually transformed the Constitution 298 00:14:25,615 --> 00:14:28,118 into something new and different. 299 00:14:30,704 --> 00:14:33,331 They took slavery out of the Constitution, 300 00:14:33,415 --> 00:14:35,584 where it had been embedded. 301 00:14:38,628 --> 00:14:40,088 They created for the first time 302 00:14:40,171 --> 00:14:42,424 a national definition of citizenship 303 00:14:42,507 --> 00:14:44,718 and insisted that all those citizens 304 00:14:44,801 --> 00:14:46,553 and other persons in the country 305 00:14:46,636 --> 00:14:49,014 had to be treated equally. 306 00:14:51,600 --> 00:14:54,686 And they mandated that African American men 307 00:14:54,769 --> 00:14:56,605 must have the right to vote. 308 00:14:56,688 --> 00:14:59,274 DAVID PEPPER: That amendment in 1870 said 309 00:14:59,357 --> 00:15:01,818 the right to vote "shall not be denied or abridged" 310 00:15:01,901 --> 00:15:03,737 on the basis "of race, color 311 00:15:03,820 --> 00:15:05,614 or previous condition of servitude." 312 00:15:05,697 --> 00:15:10,118 ANDERSON: The state shall not abridge the right to vote 313 00:15:10,201 --> 00:15:13,038 "on account of race, color 314 00:15:13,121 --> 00:15:16,124 or previous condition of servitude." 315 00:15:16,207 --> 00:15:18,627 FONER: The idea of a national standard for voting 316 00:15:18,710 --> 00:15:20,420 was very controversial. 317 00:15:20,503 --> 00:15:23,298 During the debates on the 15th Amendment, 318 00:15:23,381 --> 00:15:26,176 even Northern states wanted to keep control 319 00:15:26,259 --> 00:15:28,011 of the voting qualifications, because there were 320 00:15:28,094 --> 00:15:29,763 people in their state they didn’t want voting. 321 00:15:29,846 --> 00:15:31,264 And it’s not about blacks. 322 00:15:32,974 --> 00:15:36,770 California and Oregon did not ratify the 15th Amendment, 323 00:15:36,853 --> 00:15:38,897 because they were afraid that 324 00:15:38,980 --> 00:15:41,566 it might let Chinese people vote. 325 00:15:45,320 --> 00:15:49,240 But by 1870, when the 15th Amendment was ratified, 326 00:15:49,324 --> 00:15:51,826 Black men now had the right to vote 327 00:15:51,910 --> 00:15:54,746 in every state in the union for the first time. 328 00:15:54,829 --> 00:15:57,290 And indeed, also to hold office. 329 00:15:57,374 --> 00:16:00,502 ♪ ♪ 330 00:16:00,585 --> 00:16:02,962 ABRAMS: What Reconstruction offered 331 00:16:03,046 --> 00:16:05,298 was a fresh start for America. 332 00:16:06,633 --> 00:16:08,760 You had this moment where 333 00:16:08,843 --> 00:16:12,347 Black citizens enjoyed citizenship. 334 00:16:14,140 --> 00:16:17,727 That was evidenced by Black men going to the U.S. Senate. 335 00:16:22,732 --> 00:16:25,902 ANDERSON: You start having Black elected officials 336 00:16:25,985 --> 00:16:29,155 in these amazingly high spaces 337 00:16:29,239 --> 00:16:32,492 where you would not have imagined them 338 00:16:32,575 --> 00:16:34,119 20 years earlier. 339 00:16:34,202 --> 00:16:36,204 That was the power of Reconstruction, 340 00:16:36,287 --> 00:16:38,707 and that was the power of the vote. 341 00:16:45,088 --> 00:16:47,173 (quiet chatter) 342 00:16:49,884 --> 00:16:53,888 MAN: Please welcome the first lady of our movement, 343 00:16:53,972 --> 00:16:57,600 Mrs. Coretta Scott King. 344 00:16:57,684 --> 00:16:59,853 (cheering and applause) 345 00:17:03,481 --> 00:17:07,527 Hi. Welcome, all of you, my brothers and sisters, 346 00:17:07,610 --> 00:17:11,698 to this 30th-anniversary March on Washington. 347 00:17:12,615 --> 00:17:15,201 Dr. King’s spirit is with us. 348 00:17:15,285 --> 00:17:18,329 ABRAMS: When I spoke at the March on Washington, I was 19. 349 00:17:18,413 --> 00:17:22,041 I was terrified, and I do not recall to this day 350 00:17:22,125 --> 00:17:23,877 actually giving that speech. 351 00:17:25,545 --> 00:17:27,839 I’m delighted now to introduce 352 00:17:27,922 --> 00:17:31,593 our next speaker, Stacey Abrams, 353 00:17:31,676 --> 00:17:35,263 who is a junior at Spelman College in Atlanta. 354 00:17:35,346 --> 00:17:39,517 She has helped mobilize students to be here today, 355 00:17:39,601 --> 00:17:45,273 and we are very, very proud of our sister, Stacey Abrams. 356 00:17:45,356 --> 00:17:46,441 -Stacey. -(applause) 357 00:17:46,524 --> 00:17:49,152 ABRAMS: There was a guy with a clock 358 00:17:49,235 --> 00:17:52,280 who told me, "You only have X amount of time to speak." 359 00:17:52,363 --> 00:17:54,616 And I remember him saying, "Start." 360 00:17:54,699 --> 00:17:57,786 Jobs, justice, peace. 361 00:17:57,869 --> 00:17:59,746 This is a theme that we’ve been hearing today 362 00:17:59,829 --> 00:18:01,539 over and over again. 363 00:18:01,623 --> 00:18:02,665 This is a theme... 364 00:18:02,749 --> 00:18:04,667 ABRAMS: When you walk onto the stage 365 00:18:04,751 --> 00:18:07,504 and you look out over the Reflecting Pool, 366 00:18:07,587 --> 00:18:12,133 I’d never seen that many people in one place in my entire life. 367 00:18:12,217 --> 00:18:16,262 Today we come before you, walking on the road to jobs, 368 00:18:16,346 --> 00:18:19,224 the road to peace, the road to justice. 369 00:18:20,183 --> 00:18:21,518 ABRAMS: When I was in college, 370 00:18:21,601 --> 00:18:25,188 I was very involved in voter registration. 371 00:18:25,271 --> 00:18:28,274 What I was concerned about as a young person was 372 00:18:28,358 --> 00:18:30,568 how many people weren’t taking advantage 373 00:18:30,652 --> 00:18:32,695 of this right, of this power. 374 00:18:32,779 --> 00:18:35,240 I set up voter registration opportunities, 375 00:18:35,323 --> 00:18:38,576 and I would annoy my friends, and they did not care. 376 00:18:38,660 --> 00:18:42,038 But I knew how important it was to have this right to vote, 377 00:18:42,121 --> 00:18:45,041 because I’d remembered my parents teaching me about this. 378 00:18:45,124 --> 00:18:46,918 I’d seen what it meant. 379 00:18:47,001 --> 00:18:51,422 At Spelman, I used to go to city council meetings. 380 00:18:51,506 --> 00:18:54,300 I was starting to understand how government worked, 381 00:18:54,384 --> 00:18:57,804 but I was also becoming very aware of how it didn’t work. 382 00:19:00,682 --> 00:19:02,767 I was protesting. 383 00:19:02,851 --> 00:19:05,353 I burned the Georgia state flag 384 00:19:05,436 --> 00:19:07,939 because it had a Confederate emblem on it. 385 00:19:09,691 --> 00:19:11,860 We first tried to get a meeting with the governor 386 00:19:11,943 --> 00:19:13,945 to talk about it, and when that wasn’t fruitful, 387 00:19:14,028 --> 00:19:17,991 we decided to bring attention to it by setting it on fire. 388 00:19:18,074 --> 00:19:19,993 Now, I got a burn permit for it, 389 00:19:20,076 --> 00:19:21,786 so everyone knew I was doing it. 390 00:19:21,870 --> 00:19:23,413 I’m like, "I don’t have to break the law 391 00:19:23,496 --> 00:19:24,581 to make my point." 392 00:19:24,664 --> 00:19:28,501 Stacey Yvonne Abrams, magna cum laude. 393 00:19:28,585 --> 00:19:31,004 ABRAMS: I learned at Spelman College 394 00:19:31,087 --> 00:19:33,840 I didn’t have to limit my goals 395 00:19:33,923 --> 00:19:36,676 to what I’d seen other people do. 396 00:19:38,177 --> 00:19:40,805 Today, I come to you as a young person, 397 00:19:40,889 --> 00:19:44,058 as a young woman, as a young Black woman, 398 00:19:44,142 --> 00:19:46,144 to ask you to use us. 399 00:19:46,227 --> 00:19:49,272 Use the young people of the United States of America 400 00:19:49,355 --> 00:19:51,900 to pave a road that will last forever. 401 00:19:51,983 --> 00:19:54,235 (cheering and applause) 402 00:19:58,615 --> 00:20:00,700 ♪ ♪ 403 00:20:07,540 --> 00:20:09,375 WALDMAN: The first great protest march 404 00:20:09,459 --> 00:20:10,877 on the nation’s capital ever 405 00:20:10,960 --> 00:20:13,379 was for the right to vote for women. 406 00:20:14,756 --> 00:20:19,594 In 1913, the day before the presidential inauguration, 407 00:20:19,677 --> 00:20:22,597 5,000 women marched down Pennsylvania Avenue. 408 00:20:26,601 --> 00:20:28,937 It took pushing and pushing and pushing. 409 00:20:29,020 --> 00:20:31,481 It took hunger strikes, 410 00:20:31,564 --> 00:20:33,983 picketing in front of the White House. 411 00:20:35,276 --> 00:20:37,403 All these creative, nonviolent protests-- 412 00:20:37,487 --> 00:20:39,030 that was new to this country. 413 00:20:39,113 --> 00:20:42,158 This was before Gandhi had done a lot of these things. 414 00:20:42,241 --> 00:20:44,911 But the women’s movement and the fight for women’s suffrage 415 00:20:44,994 --> 00:20:47,372 introduced them to the United States. 416 00:20:47,455 --> 00:20:50,541 ANDERSON: We get to the 19th Amendment 417 00:20:50,625 --> 00:20:54,545 that guarantees women the right to vote. 418 00:20:59,008 --> 00:21:00,927 PEPPER: When you look back at how long 419 00:21:01,010 --> 00:21:03,638 women fought for the right to vote... 420 00:21:05,014 --> 00:21:06,849 We’re used to movements now-- 421 00:21:06,933 --> 00:21:09,477 ten or 20 years, and the change happens. 422 00:21:09,560 --> 00:21:11,396 Women spent their entire lifetimes 423 00:21:11,479 --> 00:21:13,523 fighting for the 19th Amendment. 424 00:21:16,192 --> 00:21:17,694 ABRAMS: Black women were instrumental 425 00:21:17,777 --> 00:21:20,571 in the passage of the 19th Amendment, 426 00:21:20,655 --> 00:21:22,782 and they had been part of this conversation 427 00:21:22,865 --> 00:21:24,701 from its beginning. 428 00:21:24,784 --> 00:21:26,536 Women who were helping 429 00:21:26,619 --> 00:21:30,790 shape opportunity for white women and for Black men, 430 00:21:30,873 --> 00:21:33,543 and yet, in each of these conversations, 431 00:21:33,626 --> 00:21:36,170 Black women were left out of the narrative. 432 00:21:37,213 --> 00:21:39,298 And then, post-Reconstruction, 433 00:21:39,382 --> 00:21:43,845 Black men, who had suddenly become part of the body politic, 434 00:21:43,928 --> 00:21:46,180 were once again disenfranchised. 435 00:21:58,192 --> 00:22:01,279 ARI BERMAN: The greatest moments of progress 436 00:22:01,362 --> 00:22:04,907 are followed by the most intense periods 437 00:22:04,991 --> 00:22:06,743 of retrenchment. 438 00:22:06,826 --> 00:22:09,162 That’s what happened after the Civil War. 439 00:22:09,245 --> 00:22:11,789 Reconstruction was a high point for voting rights, 440 00:22:11,873 --> 00:22:14,959 and it was followed by nearly a hundred years of Jim Crow. 441 00:22:16,919 --> 00:22:18,963 ANDREW YOUNG: The decision to remove 442 00:22:19,047 --> 00:22:20,757 the troops from the South 443 00:22:20,840 --> 00:22:24,719 was a decision made by one vote in the Congress. 444 00:22:24,802 --> 00:22:29,891 One vote put an end to Reconstruction 445 00:22:29,974 --> 00:22:33,770 and started the era of violence 446 00:22:33,853 --> 00:22:39,484 and bloodshed and Klan-led catastrophes. 447 00:22:39,567 --> 00:22:42,195 ♪ ♪ 448 00:22:42,278 --> 00:22:44,822 ANDERSON: The South was trying to figure out, 449 00:22:44,906 --> 00:22:48,659 "How do we stop all of these Black folk from voting? 450 00:22:48,743 --> 00:22:53,456 If they continue to vote, we’re in trouble." 451 00:22:53,539 --> 00:22:55,833 How do you say, "We don’t want Black folks to vote," 452 00:22:55,917 --> 00:22:57,126 without writing a law saying, 453 00:22:57,210 --> 00:22:59,003 "We don’t want Black folks to vote"? 454 00:23:00,379 --> 00:23:02,507 Mississippi said, "Oh, we’ve got this. 455 00:23:02,590 --> 00:23:06,677 "We have figured out how to get around the 15th Amendment, 456 00:23:06,761 --> 00:23:11,808 while systematically denying the vote to African Americans." 457 00:23:11,891 --> 00:23:14,602 And that was the Mississippi Plan of 1890. 458 00:23:20,441 --> 00:23:22,652 What Mississippi came up with was: 459 00:23:22,735 --> 00:23:26,322 We are going to use the societally imposed conditions 460 00:23:26,405 --> 00:23:28,324 on African Americans 461 00:23:28,407 --> 00:23:33,496 and make those conditions the access to the ballot box. 462 00:23:34,664 --> 00:23:37,500 What you say is: Democracy is expensive. 463 00:23:37,583 --> 00:23:39,669 Elections are expensive. 464 00:23:40,545 --> 00:23:42,004 And if you’re really invested, 465 00:23:42,088 --> 00:23:44,465 you should be willing to pay a small fee. 466 00:23:46,092 --> 00:23:48,052 A poll tax. 467 00:23:48,136 --> 00:23:50,096 It’s not too much. 468 00:23:50,179 --> 00:23:51,681 It sounds so reasonable. 469 00:23:51,764 --> 00:23:56,394 But when you begin to think about what that means... 470 00:23:56,477 --> 00:24:00,690 You can pay for food, or you can vote. 471 00:24:00,773 --> 00:24:04,110 You can pay for some clothes for your children, 472 00:24:04,193 --> 00:24:06,154 or you can vote. 473 00:24:14,787 --> 00:24:17,832 And then the literacy test. 474 00:24:22,003 --> 00:24:23,629 DEBO ADEGBILE: The literacy tests 475 00:24:23,713 --> 00:24:25,173 are misnamed, in a sense, 476 00:24:25,256 --> 00:24:28,134 because they weren’t really tests of one’s literacy. 477 00:24:28,217 --> 00:24:29,677 They were traps. 478 00:24:29,760 --> 00:24:31,971 They were designed to never let you 479 00:24:32,054 --> 00:24:34,307 be able to answer them correctly. 480 00:24:36,184 --> 00:24:37,727 PEPPER: I actually took out 481 00:24:37,810 --> 00:24:40,229 one of the old literacy tests from Alabama. 482 00:24:40,313 --> 00:24:43,024 My class of second- and third-year law students 483 00:24:43,107 --> 00:24:47,111 could not pass the literacy test. 484 00:24:47,195 --> 00:24:49,238 ABRAMS: There were literacy tests, poll taxes. 485 00:24:49,322 --> 00:24:50,573 PEPPER: Grandfather clauses, 486 00:24:50,656 --> 00:24:52,450 all-white primaries, property clauses. 487 00:24:52,533 --> 00:24:54,660 ANDERSON: If this one doesn’t get you, this one will. 488 00:24:54,744 --> 00:24:56,704 If this one doesn’t get you, this one will. 489 00:24:58,831 --> 00:25:01,834 ABRAMS: There were this raft of different laws 490 00:25:01,918 --> 00:25:04,128 that were called the Black Codes. 491 00:25:04,212 --> 00:25:07,215 And those laws criminalized basic normal behavior. 492 00:25:07,298 --> 00:25:10,635 It was a crime to be on a city street 493 00:25:10,718 --> 00:25:12,762 without having a place to go. 494 00:25:12,845 --> 00:25:14,680 It was a crime not to have a job 495 00:25:14,764 --> 00:25:17,183 even if what you were doing was looking for work. 496 00:25:17,266 --> 00:25:19,227 If you were caught loitering, 497 00:25:19,310 --> 00:25:21,646 meaning you were waiting for your wife in a store, 498 00:25:21,729 --> 00:25:24,273 that could be a pretext for arresting you, 499 00:25:24,357 --> 00:25:25,483 incarcerating you 500 00:25:25,566 --> 00:25:27,485 and permanently disenfranchising you. 501 00:25:35,534 --> 00:25:38,162 ANDERSON: That felony disfranchisement 502 00:25:38,246 --> 00:25:41,791 coming out of Florida in 1868-- 503 00:25:41,874 --> 00:25:47,129 what that does is it strips you of your right to vote. 504 00:25:47,213 --> 00:25:51,968 It is a way to-to neutralize the 15th Amendment. 505 00:26:01,102 --> 00:26:03,187 ♪ ♪ 506 00:26:04,563 --> 00:26:06,607 PEPPER: Virtually overnight, 507 00:26:06,691 --> 00:26:08,734 African Americans are eliminated 508 00:26:08,818 --> 00:26:11,112 from the electorate in the South. 509 00:26:11,195 --> 00:26:14,865 So, you go from having Black governors and senators 510 00:26:14,949 --> 00:26:18,369 to having almost no-- if not any-- Black voters 511 00:26:18,452 --> 00:26:20,621 that were able to participate in elections. 512 00:26:20,705 --> 00:26:23,457 ANDERSON: In Mississippi, during Reconstruction, 513 00:26:23,541 --> 00:26:28,713 African American voter registration was almost 67%. 514 00:26:29,839 --> 00:26:32,258 By the time we have fought the Nazis 515 00:26:32,341 --> 00:26:34,010 and we are moving into the Cold War 516 00:26:34,093 --> 00:26:36,053 where the U.S. is really holding up 517 00:26:36,137 --> 00:26:38,681 as the leader of the free world, 518 00:26:38,764 --> 00:26:42,643 only three percent of age-eligible African Americans 519 00:26:42,727 --> 00:26:45,563 were registered to vote in the South. 520 00:26:45,646 --> 00:26:48,149 Three percent. 521 00:26:52,445 --> 00:26:54,905 MAN: The word says, "Great is the Lord 522 00:26:54,989 --> 00:26:57,199 and greatly to be praised." 523 00:26:57,283 --> 00:27:00,494 ♪ I’m gonna praise him, I got to get it out... ♪ 524 00:27:00,578 --> 00:27:03,539 ♪ ♪ 525 00:27:05,207 --> 00:27:08,836 DESMOND MEADE: My name is Desmond Meade. 526 00:27:08,919 --> 00:27:11,630 I grew up in Miami, Florida. 527 00:27:11,714 --> 00:27:13,966 I am what we call a returning citizen. 528 00:27:14,050 --> 00:27:15,593 (cheering) 529 00:27:15,676 --> 00:27:17,595 Returning citizens are people 530 00:27:17,678 --> 00:27:19,597 with previous felony convictions. 531 00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:22,433 You know, I used to tell people that my story 532 00:27:22,516 --> 00:27:26,020 didn’t have a happy ending because I lived in Florida, 533 00:27:26,103 --> 00:27:28,147 where over 1.68 million people 534 00:27:28,230 --> 00:27:31,859 had a lifetime ban from voting and other things. 535 00:27:31,942 --> 00:27:34,153 MEADE: After graduating high school, 536 00:27:34,236 --> 00:27:36,947 I went into the service. 537 00:27:37,031 --> 00:27:41,869 When I returned home, I was addicted to drugs, 538 00:27:41,952 --> 00:27:44,955 and I was in and out of jail, 539 00:27:45,039 --> 00:27:48,167 and I ended up checking myself into drug treatment. 540 00:27:48,250 --> 00:27:50,586 I experienced a transformation. 541 00:27:50,669 --> 00:27:54,131 What have I done with my life, uh, to make a difference? 542 00:27:54,215 --> 00:27:56,133 ♪ ♪ 543 00:27:56,217 --> 00:27:57,802 NEWSMAN: Florida leads the nation 544 00:27:57,885 --> 00:28:01,389 in denying the right to vote to one specific group: felons. 545 00:28:03,516 --> 00:28:07,269 MEADE: For years, we have lobbied politicians 546 00:28:07,353 --> 00:28:09,855 to change these old Jim Crow laws, 547 00:28:09,939 --> 00:28:12,233 and we were not able to accomplish anything. 548 00:28:12,316 --> 00:28:14,652 RICHARD HARRISON: If there’s a million and a half 549 00:28:14,735 --> 00:28:15,945 convicted felons in Florida 550 00:28:16,028 --> 00:28:20,116 and they’re suddenly all qualified to vote, 551 00:28:20,199 --> 00:28:22,743 that universe of people are probably gonna be 552 00:28:22,827 --> 00:28:25,955 more inclined to favor the Democratic Party. 553 00:28:26,038 --> 00:28:28,040 What data is there to support that? 554 00:28:28,124 --> 00:28:29,792 -None. -Mm. 555 00:28:29,875 --> 00:28:32,211 So, if the politicians did not have 556 00:28:32,294 --> 00:28:34,547 the political strength or courage 557 00:28:34,630 --> 00:28:36,841 to actually change the policies, 558 00:28:36,924 --> 00:28:39,510 then the next best thing was to let the citizens, 559 00:28:39,593 --> 00:28:41,595 uh, take it into their own hands. 560 00:28:41,679 --> 00:28:46,267 CROWD: Let my people vote! Let my people vote! 561 00:28:47,184 --> 00:28:50,563 MEADE: In October of 2014, 562 00:28:50,646 --> 00:28:53,441 we launched the ballot initiative. 563 00:28:54,483 --> 00:28:55,943 All of the experts thought 564 00:28:56,026 --> 00:28:59,238 that it was impossible to even get it on the ballot. 565 00:28:59,321 --> 00:29:02,741 But this was an organic grassroots movement. 566 00:29:02,825 --> 00:29:04,702 We knocked on a lot of doors. 567 00:29:04,785 --> 00:29:06,620 -We’re gonna change the history. -All right. 568 00:29:06,704 --> 00:29:07,955 MEADE: We made a ton of phone calls. 569 00:29:08,038 --> 00:29:09,540 WOMAN: We’re talking to voters about Amendment 4, 570 00:29:09,623 --> 00:29:10,624 the voting restoration amendment 571 00:29:10,708 --> 00:29:12,042 on the ballot this November. 572 00:29:12,126 --> 00:29:13,335 Have you heard about it? 573 00:29:13,419 --> 00:29:14,920 And our message was very simple. 574 00:29:15,004 --> 00:29:16,881 When the debt is paid, it’s paid. 575 00:29:16,964 --> 00:29:19,925 Uh, and that this was an all-American issue 576 00:29:20,009 --> 00:29:22,261 that impacted people from all walks of life. 577 00:29:22,344 --> 00:29:24,889 I’m a 20-plus-year conservative Republican. 578 00:29:24,972 --> 00:29:27,349 I bring that up not to make an issue of it 579 00:29:27,433 --> 00:29:29,602 but to actually not make an issue of it. 580 00:29:29,685 --> 00:29:31,103 This issue isn’t about politics. 581 00:29:31,187 --> 00:29:32,354 It’s about people. 582 00:29:32,438 --> 00:29:34,231 Out of all the civil rights, 583 00:29:34,315 --> 00:29:36,775 nothing speaks more to citizenship 584 00:29:36,859 --> 00:29:38,486 than being able to vote. 585 00:29:38,569 --> 00:29:41,071 Today is midterm Election Day. 586 00:29:41,155 --> 00:29:43,365 Voting’s gonna be in full swing here in just a few hours. 587 00:29:43,449 --> 00:29:45,993 Voters in Florida are preparing to vote on a measure 588 00:29:46,076 --> 00:29:47,661 that would restore voting rights 589 00:29:47,745 --> 00:29:49,997 to 1.4 million people, 590 00:29:50,080 --> 00:29:52,958 one in five African Americans in Florida 591 00:29:53,042 --> 00:29:55,836 and ten percent of the state’s adult population. 592 00:29:55,920 --> 00:29:58,506 NEWSWOMAN: Amendment 4, if it passes, is expected to 593 00:29:58,589 --> 00:30:01,091 change the shape of Florida’s electorate for decades to come. 594 00:30:01,175 --> 00:30:02,885 NEWSMAN: Millions of votes already cast here in Florida, 595 00:30:02,968 --> 00:30:05,137 but millions more will vote today. 596 00:30:05,221 --> 00:30:07,014 NEWSWOMAN: It looks like Amendment 4 will pass. 597 00:30:07,097 --> 00:30:09,016 NEWSWOMAN: Amendment 4 passing by a wide margin. 598 00:30:09,099 --> 00:30:10,643 64% there. 599 00:30:10,726 --> 00:30:12,102 (cheering) 600 00:30:12,186 --> 00:30:13,562 CROWD (chanting): Get the vote! 601 00:30:13,646 --> 00:30:16,524 Get the vote! Get the vote! 602 00:30:16,607 --> 00:30:19,527 I need every returning citizen here on this stage. 603 00:30:19,610 --> 00:30:20,861 -WOMAN: That’s right. -(cheering) 604 00:30:20,945 --> 00:30:22,905 MEADE: When Amendment 4 passed, 605 00:30:22,988 --> 00:30:26,742 there was a feeling of joy and appreciation 606 00:30:26,825 --> 00:30:28,536 for folks to be able to... 607 00:30:28,619 --> 00:30:30,454 to participate in our democracy. 608 00:30:30,538 --> 00:30:31,914 We did it! 609 00:30:31,997 --> 00:30:35,543 Oh, my God, I am... I am feeling, like, 610 00:30:35,626 --> 00:30:38,170 on cloud nine right now. 611 00:30:38,254 --> 00:30:39,672 ABRAMS: That population in Florida 612 00:30:39,755 --> 00:30:41,006 and around the country, 613 00:30:41,090 --> 00:30:42,758 they are the legacy of the Black Codes. 614 00:30:42,841 --> 00:30:44,927 They are the legacy of the Mississippi Plan. 615 00:30:45,010 --> 00:30:46,637 They are the legacy of attempts 616 00:30:46,720 --> 00:30:49,139 to permanently disenfranchise African Americans 617 00:30:49,223 --> 00:30:51,725 and to block their participation in society. 618 00:30:51,809 --> 00:30:54,061 ♪ ♪ 619 00:31:17,751 --> 00:31:20,004 FONER: Birth of a Nation-- it’s based 620 00:31:20,087 --> 00:31:22,089 on a novel called The Clansman, 621 00:31:22,172 --> 00:31:24,842 which is a glorification of the Ku Klux Klan. 622 00:31:25,843 --> 00:31:27,595 Why is the Ku Klux Klan glorified? 623 00:31:27,678 --> 00:31:30,097 Because it saved the South from the horrors 624 00:31:30,180 --> 00:31:33,934 of Black men holding office and, uh, being corrupt. 625 00:31:34,018 --> 00:31:36,145 ♪ ♪ 626 00:31:37,688 --> 00:31:40,399 ADEGBILE: You get to the early 1900s, 627 00:31:40,482 --> 00:31:45,237 and you have the reign of terror from the Ku Klux Klan. 628 00:31:46,447 --> 00:31:49,825 And what you see is almost a total purge 629 00:31:49,908 --> 00:31:52,911 in lots of the former states of the Confederacy 630 00:31:52,995 --> 00:31:55,789 of Black political participation... 631 00:31:57,249 --> 00:31:58,667 ...at the butt of a gun, 632 00:31:58,751 --> 00:32:01,128 at the butt of threats of violence, 633 00:32:01,211 --> 00:32:03,464 through lynching and chaos. 634 00:32:04,506 --> 00:32:06,383 FONER: There was terrorist violence 635 00:32:06,467 --> 00:32:09,136 on a massive scale in the South. 636 00:32:10,054 --> 00:32:12,890 Between 1880 and 1950, 637 00:32:12,973 --> 00:32:15,267 somewhere around 4,000 Americans are lynched-- 638 00:32:15,351 --> 00:32:18,228 and almost all of them African Americans. 639 00:32:19,730 --> 00:32:23,651 ANDERSON: So, let me tell you a story about Maceo Snipes. 640 00:32:23,734 --> 00:32:27,154 Maceo Snipes was a World War II veteran. 641 00:32:27,237 --> 00:32:29,490 When you have fought fascists 642 00:32:29,573 --> 00:32:32,701 and you have fought for democracy, 643 00:32:32,785 --> 00:32:35,704 you want some of that democracy for yourself. 644 00:32:37,206 --> 00:32:38,999 He came home to Georgia, 645 00:32:39,083 --> 00:32:42,294 and Maceo was determined to vote. 646 00:32:43,379 --> 00:32:45,381 There was an election going on, 647 00:32:45,464 --> 00:32:48,175 and Eugene Talmadge was running for governor. 648 00:32:48,258 --> 00:32:50,135 (cheering) 649 00:32:50,219 --> 00:32:52,680 The federal government is working consistently 650 00:32:52,763 --> 00:32:54,598 to tear down states’ rights. 651 00:32:54,682 --> 00:32:57,184 And Talmadge was running on the platform 652 00:32:57,267 --> 00:33:01,355 to, as he said, keep the Negroes where they belong. 653 00:33:01,438 --> 00:33:04,483 And so Maceo goes down, and there’s a sign 654 00:33:04,566 --> 00:33:06,860 that says something to the effect of: 655 00:33:06,944 --> 00:33:08,570 "First Negro that votes, 656 00:33:08,654 --> 00:33:11,323 that’ll be the last thing he ever does." 657 00:33:11,407 --> 00:33:14,284 Maceo was like, "(scoffs) I fought fascists. 658 00:33:14,368 --> 00:33:15,786 What you got?" 659 00:33:15,869 --> 00:33:17,788 (laughs): And so Maceo went in there, 660 00:33:17,871 --> 00:33:20,040 and he cast his ballot. 661 00:33:21,542 --> 00:33:25,295 He was the only Black person in Taylor County, Georgia, 662 00:33:25,379 --> 00:33:28,924 that voted in 1946. 663 00:33:29,007 --> 00:33:31,009 Maceo goes home. 664 00:33:31,093 --> 00:33:33,971 Nothing happens for a few days. 665 00:33:34,054 --> 00:33:35,764 And then... 666 00:33:37,266 --> 00:33:39,351 He goes to his door. 667 00:33:39,435 --> 00:33:41,895 White man says, "Could you step out on the porch?" 668 00:33:41,979 --> 00:33:43,981 Maceo’s like, "Sure." 669 00:33:44,064 --> 00:33:45,983 And then he sees three additional white men. 670 00:33:46,066 --> 00:33:48,068 And then he hears... (imitates guns cocking) 671 00:33:48,152 --> 00:33:51,488 And it was a firing squad, 672 00:33:51,572 --> 00:33:55,868 and they laid Maceo out. 673 00:33:57,202 --> 00:33:59,580 The message was really clear. 674 00:33:59,663 --> 00:34:02,291 You vote, you die. 675 00:34:11,675 --> 00:34:15,721 Election Day terrorism was designed 676 00:34:15,804 --> 00:34:19,725 to provide the kind of intimidation 677 00:34:19,808 --> 00:34:22,102 that said, "If all of the pieces 678 00:34:22,186 --> 00:34:25,355 "of the Mississippi Plan can’t stop you, 679 00:34:25,439 --> 00:34:29,151 we’ve got some bullets and a rope that will." 680 00:34:29,234 --> 00:34:33,989 And this is why you see the kind of insurgency 681 00:34:34,072 --> 00:34:36,325 happening in the Black community 682 00:34:36,408 --> 00:34:39,495 that leads into the civil rights movement. 683 00:34:39,578 --> 00:34:41,705 This kind of... (sighs) 684 00:34:41,789 --> 00:34:43,957 "I shall not be moved." 685 00:34:44,041 --> 00:34:49,922 ♪ Soon it will be done ♪ 686 00:34:50,005 --> 00:34:55,093 ♪ Trouble of the world... ♪ 687 00:34:55,177 --> 00:34:57,054 MAN: My name is Roosevelt Lee. 688 00:34:57,137 --> 00:34:59,723 I went out to Liberty to try to register, 689 00:34:59,807 --> 00:35:02,142 and the next day, when I went back to my job, 690 00:35:02,226 --> 00:35:03,393 the man fired me. 691 00:35:06,355 --> 00:35:09,650 MAN: After being questioned, I was carried into a room 692 00:35:09,733 --> 00:35:13,946 where a police officer came in and got a rope and said, 693 00:35:14,029 --> 00:35:16,406 "Okay, nigger, get up in here and let’s go. 694 00:35:16,490 --> 00:35:18,492 "We’re going to have a hanging here tonight, 695 00:35:18,575 --> 00:35:20,077 and you’re going to be first." 696 00:35:20,160 --> 00:35:25,123 ♪ No more ♪ 697 00:35:25,207 --> 00:35:26,959 -(camera clicking) -(clamoring) 698 00:35:27,042 --> 00:35:30,504 ♪ Weepin’ and wailin’ ♪ 699 00:35:32,381 --> 00:35:37,928 ♪ No more ♪ 700 00:35:38,011 --> 00:35:43,141 ♪ Weepin’ and wailin’ ♪ 701 00:35:43,225 --> 00:35:46,603 ♪ Going home ♪ 702 00:35:46,687 --> 00:35:49,439 ♪ To live ♪ 703 00:35:49,523 --> 00:35:52,025 ♪ With my Lord ♪ 704 00:35:56,530 --> 00:36:01,910 ♪ Soon it will be done ♪ 705 00:36:01,994 --> 00:36:03,745 ♪ Trouble of the world... ♪ 706 00:36:03,829 --> 00:36:05,873 ABRAMS: In my life, I never would’ve imagined 707 00:36:05,956 --> 00:36:07,791 I would have the honor to stand here. 708 00:36:07,875 --> 00:36:11,003 -(congregation murmuring) -And when I got the request, 709 00:36:11,086 --> 00:36:14,172 my very next moment was to call my mom and my dad. 710 00:36:14,256 --> 00:36:15,591 (congregation murmuring) 711 00:36:15,674 --> 00:36:18,218 My parents, Reverend Robert Abrams 712 00:36:18,302 --> 00:36:20,095 and Reverend Carolyn Abrams. 713 00:36:20,178 --> 00:36:22,556 (cheering and applause) 714 00:36:22,639 --> 00:36:25,309 You see, my father was arrested at the age of 14 715 00:36:25,392 --> 00:36:27,936 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. 716 00:36:28,020 --> 00:36:32,107 He was arrested for helping to register Black people to vote. 717 00:36:32,190 --> 00:36:33,483 My mother was doing the same work. 718 00:36:33,567 --> 00:36:35,402 She was just smart enough not to get caught, but... 719 00:36:35,485 --> 00:36:36,695 (laughter, applause) 720 00:36:36,778 --> 00:36:39,489 All of that started here in Selma. 721 00:36:39,573 --> 00:36:44,828 ♪ No more... ♪ 722 00:36:44,912 --> 00:36:48,081 WOMAN: Selma, Alabama, is located in Dallas County. 723 00:36:48,165 --> 00:36:51,543 17,000 of the county’s residents are Negroes. 724 00:36:51,627 --> 00:36:56,256 However, only 1.7% of these are registered voters. 725 00:36:56,340 --> 00:36:59,676 The Negroes of Selma, Alabama, want to vote. 726 00:36:59,760 --> 00:37:02,387 C.T. VIVIAN: We’re willing to be beaten for democracy, 727 00:37:02,471 --> 00:37:05,223 and you misuse democracy in the street. 728 00:37:05,307 --> 00:37:07,935 You beat people bloody in order that they will not 729 00:37:08,018 --> 00:37:09,728 have the privilege to vote. 730 00:37:09,811 --> 00:37:11,063 You can turn your back now, 731 00:37:11,146 --> 00:37:13,023 and you can keep the club in your hand, 732 00:37:13,106 --> 00:37:15,150 but you cannot beat down justice. 733 00:37:15,233 --> 00:37:17,069 And we will register to vote 734 00:37:17,152 --> 00:37:18,737 because, as citizens of these United States, 735 00:37:18,820 --> 00:37:20,280 we have the right to do it. 736 00:37:20,364 --> 00:37:23,575 You’re under arrest for contempt of court. 737 00:37:24,409 --> 00:37:27,079 (quiet, indistinct chatter) 738 00:37:27,162 --> 00:37:29,289 ♪ ♪ 739 00:37:31,500 --> 00:37:35,170 YOUNG: Selma really awakened the nation. 740 00:37:36,088 --> 00:37:39,299 In Selma, Sheriff Jim Clark 741 00:37:39,383 --> 00:37:43,011 was refusing to let them register to vote. 742 00:37:44,721 --> 00:37:47,808 They wouldn’t even pretend to go through the motions. 743 00:37:47,891 --> 00:37:50,560 MARTIN LUTHER KING: I want to start out 744 00:37:50,644 --> 00:37:55,607 by commending you, the Negro citizens of Selma, 745 00:37:55,691 --> 00:37:58,402 for standing up. 746 00:37:58,485 --> 00:38:01,446 Sooner or later, Sheriff Clark will understand 747 00:38:01,530 --> 00:38:06,618 that he’s dealing with a people that will not stop 748 00:38:06,702 --> 00:38:09,746 until they have full freedom and human dignity. 749 00:38:12,749 --> 00:38:16,128 NEWSMAN: Dr. King and a large number of Selma Negroes marched 750 00:38:16,211 --> 00:38:18,130 through the city streets in small groups 751 00:38:18,213 --> 00:38:20,132 to the county courthouse. 752 00:38:20,215 --> 00:38:21,675 (siren wailing) 753 00:38:21,758 --> 00:38:23,760 One woman, Mrs. Amelia Boynton, 754 00:38:23,844 --> 00:38:26,805 was grabbed by the sheriff and hustled along the sidewalk 755 00:38:26,888 --> 00:38:29,349 into the custody of deputies. 756 00:38:34,187 --> 00:38:38,066 YOUNG: Dr. King and I, we had been working together 757 00:38:38,150 --> 00:38:40,777 to get a civil rights bill passed. 758 00:38:40,861 --> 00:38:45,032 We went back, and we met with President Johnson, 759 00:38:45,115 --> 00:38:48,785 and he said, "Well, I know you need voting rights, 760 00:38:48,869 --> 00:38:51,913 "but we just had a civil rights bill passed. 761 00:38:51,997 --> 00:38:53,957 "I just don’t have the power 762 00:38:54,041 --> 00:38:57,586 "to go back to Congress for another civil rights bill. 763 00:38:57,669 --> 00:39:01,256 I know it’s needed, but, uh, I don’t have the power." 764 00:39:01,339 --> 00:39:04,384 And he must have said, "I don’t have the power," 765 00:39:04,468 --> 00:39:06,428 half a dozen times. 766 00:39:08,305 --> 00:39:13,477 When we left, I asked Dr. King, "Well, what are you gonna do?" 767 00:39:13,560 --> 00:39:16,271 He said, "We’re gonna get the president some power." 768 00:39:24,279 --> 00:39:25,947 Uh, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee 769 00:39:26,031 --> 00:39:27,616 has a statement. 770 00:39:27,699 --> 00:39:30,452 We, the Negro citizens of Dallas County 771 00:39:30,535 --> 00:39:33,038 and other Alabama Black Belt counties, 772 00:39:33,121 --> 00:39:35,999 are marching today from Selma to Montgomery. 773 00:39:37,250 --> 00:39:39,544 YOUNG: A couple of hundred people showed up. 774 00:39:41,004 --> 00:39:44,091 John Lewis led the march. 775 00:39:44,174 --> 00:39:47,803 LEWIS: We’re marching today to dramatize to the nation, 776 00:39:47,886 --> 00:39:49,429 dramatize to the world 777 00:39:49,513 --> 00:39:52,682 the hundreds and thousands of Negro citizens of Alabama, 778 00:39:52,766 --> 00:39:55,018 but particularly here in the Black Belt area, 779 00:39:55,102 --> 00:39:57,187 denied the right to vote. 780 00:40:01,108 --> 00:40:03,735 ANDERSON: Then they get to the Edmund Pettus Bridge. 781 00:40:04,945 --> 00:40:06,988 It’s real quiet. 782 00:40:07,072 --> 00:40:10,033 They’re like, "Where is everybody?" 783 00:40:13,954 --> 00:40:15,747 ♪ ♪ 784 00:40:15,831 --> 00:40:19,709 YOUNG: The Alabama state patrol and Sheriff Jim Clark 785 00:40:19,793 --> 00:40:23,296 were on the other side of the Edmund Pettus Bridge. 786 00:40:23,380 --> 00:40:25,841 OFFICER: It’ll be detrimental to your safety 787 00:40:25,924 --> 00:40:27,968 to continue this march, and I’m saying 788 00:40:28,051 --> 00:40:30,262 that this is an unlawful assembly. 789 00:40:30,345 --> 00:40:32,389 You are ordered to disperse. 790 00:40:32,472 --> 00:40:35,058 Go home or go to your church. 791 00:40:35,142 --> 00:40:38,311 This march will not continue. 792 00:40:38,395 --> 00:40:41,148 You’ve got two minutes to turn around 793 00:40:41,231 --> 00:40:43,525 and go back to your church. 794 00:40:43,608 --> 00:40:46,486 Is that clear to you? 795 00:40:46,570 --> 00:40:48,905 JOHN LEWIS: Major, may I have a word? 796 00:40:48,989 --> 00:40:51,950 OFFICER: I’ve got nothing further to say to you. 797 00:40:52,033 --> 00:40:56,955 Troopers here, advance toward the group. 798 00:40:57,038 --> 00:41:01,418 See that they turn around and disperse. 799 00:41:07,465 --> 00:41:10,760 (people screaming) 800 00:41:20,395 --> 00:41:22,689 ANDERSON: You see people just stumbling. 801 00:41:22,772 --> 00:41:24,649 You see them being trampled. 802 00:41:24,733 --> 00:41:27,277 And the cameras are rolling. 803 00:41:27,360 --> 00:41:30,530 -(weapon blasts) -(whistling, screaming) 804 00:41:44,794 --> 00:41:47,672 YOUNG: That Sunday, everybody was watching 805 00:41:47,756 --> 00:41:50,467 the movie Judgment at Nuremberg, 806 00:41:50,550 --> 00:41:53,511 which was about Hitler’s slaughter of the Jews. 807 00:41:55,680 --> 00:41:58,266 ANDERSON: They cut into their movie of the week 808 00:41:58,350 --> 00:42:01,478 to show the footage of Bloody Sunday. 809 00:42:01,561 --> 00:42:04,981 The nation was appalled because one of the ways 810 00:42:05,065 --> 00:42:08,652 that Jim Crow worked so smoothly and so effectively 811 00:42:08,735 --> 00:42:10,528 is that you didn’t have to see it. 812 00:42:10,612 --> 00:42:15,116 But when you see the violence raining down on people 813 00:42:15,200 --> 00:42:18,745 who are just fighting for the right to vote, 814 00:42:18,828 --> 00:42:21,039 it tells you that something is systemically, 815 00:42:21,122 --> 00:42:23,959 fundamentally wrong in this democracy. 816 00:42:25,001 --> 00:42:27,629 It-it was just... 817 00:42:27,712 --> 00:42:32,217 it was ruthless and brutal and... 818 00:42:32,300 --> 00:42:34,803 and criminal. 819 00:42:34,886 --> 00:42:37,722 But it was what... 820 00:42:39,683 --> 00:42:43,812 It was what changed the South on voting rights. 821 00:42:43,895 --> 00:42:47,232 (crowd clapping, chanting indistinctly) 822 00:42:47,315 --> 00:42:49,150 WALDMAN: A nationwide movement 823 00:42:49,234 --> 00:42:51,778 for voting rights erupted that week. 824 00:42:51,861 --> 00:42:53,571 All over the country, there were protests, 825 00:42:53,655 --> 00:42:55,073 there were sit-ins. 826 00:42:57,575 --> 00:42:59,160 LUCI BAINES JOHNSON: My father saw it 827 00:42:59,244 --> 00:43:03,623 as a pivotal moment to seize upon America’s angst 828 00:43:03,707 --> 00:43:05,250 so that Americans would come and say, 829 00:43:05,333 --> 00:43:08,795 "Yes, the cause is just. The time is now." 830 00:43:08,878 --> 00:43:11,047 (applause) 831 00:43:14,467 --> 00:43:16,428 ♪ ♪ 832 00:43:16,511 --> 00:43:18,888 LYNDON B. JOHNSON: Many of the issues of civil rights 833 00:43:18,972 --> 00:43:22,600 are very complex and most difficult. 834 00:43:22,684 --> 00:43:28,523 But about this, there can and should be no argument. 835 00:43:28,606 --> 00:43:32,027 Every American citizen 836 00:43:32,110 --> 00:43:36,031 must have an equal right to vote. 837 00:43:39,367 --> 00:43:42,912 What happened in Selma is part of a far larger movement 838 00:43:42,996 --> 00:43:45,707 which reaches into every section 839 00:43:45,790 --> 00:43:47,667 and state of America. 840 00:43:47,751 --> 00:43:50,420 Because it’s not just Negroes, 841 00:43:50,503 --> 00:43:56,092 but really, it’s all of us who must overcome 842 00:43:56,176 --> 00:44:00,305 the crippling legacy of bigotry 843 00:44:00,388 --> 00:44:02,724 and injustice. 844 00:44:02,807 --> 00:44:05,769 And we shall overcome. 845 00:44:05,852 --> 00:44:08,772 (applause) 846 00:44:18,531 --> 00:44:20,575 YOUNG: He ended his speech with: 847 00:44:20,658 --> 00:44:23,411 "And we shall overcome." 848 00:44:23,495 --> 00:44:25,955 That’s the only time I saw Martin Luther King, 849 00:44:26,039 --> 00:44:27,957 uh, shed a tear. 850 00:44:29,584 --> 00:44:32,712 We gave him the power. 851 00:44:33,505 --> 00:44:37,092 All of us working together 852 00:44:37,175 --> 00:44:39,594 got the Voting Rights Act passed. 853 00:44:39,677 --> 00:44:42,555 ABRAMS: Lyndon Johnson understood that, 854 00:44:42,639 --> 00:44:46,810 while he had been an impediment to civil rights for decades, 855 00:44:46,893 --> 00:44:50,230 the time had changed and it was time for him to change. 856 00:44:50,313 --> 00:44:52,023 But more importantly, he understood that if 857 00:44:52,107 --> 00:44:55,985 the power of the right to vote was truly made available, 858 00:44:56,069 --> 00:44:57,821 it would change the future of this nation. 859 00:44:57,904 --> 00:45:00,323 ♪ ♪ 860 00:45:25,890 --> 00:45:29,102 I’m the product of the Voting Rights Act. 861 00:45:29,185 --> 00:45:30,395 (congregation murmuring in agreement) 862 00:45:30,478 --> 00:45:32,063 An act that was bought and paid for 863 00:45:32,147 --> 00:45:34,607 -on Edmund Pettus Bridge. -(murmuring, clapping) 864 00:45:34,691 --> 00:45:36,192 With foot soldiers who believed 865 00:45:36,276 --> 00:45:38,486 that they had the right to be there. 866 00:45:38,570 --> 00:45:40,989 Because when you stood up and went across that bridge, 867 00:45:41,072 --> 00:45:43,199 those were the wings of the eagles 868 00:45:43,283 --> 00:45:45,118 -that Isaiah talked about. -WOMAN: Yes. 869 00:45:45,201 --> 00:45:47,704 It may have looked like feet marching across the bridge, 870 00:45:47,787 --> 00:45:49,247 but that was flight. 871 00:45:54,127 --> 00:45:57,630 BERMAN: Days after the Voting Rights Act was passed, 872 00:45:57,714 --> 00:45:59,757 there were federal officials in the South 873 00:45:59,841 --> 00:46:03,094 registering African Americans to vote for the first time 874 00:46:03,178 --> 00:46:04,679 in counties where Black people 875 00:46:04,762 --> 00:46:07,015 hadn’t been able to register for decades. 876 00:46:07,098 --> 00:46:09,350 This was truly revolutionary. 877 00:46:13,062 --> 00:46:18,026 ANDERSON: By 1967, two years after the Voting Rights Act, 878 00:46:18,109 --> 00:46:22,280 almost 60% of Black adults in Mississippi 879 00:46:22,363 --> 00:46:24,532 registered to vote. 880 00:46:25,742 --> 00:46:27,535 Game changer. 881 00:46:46,471 --> 00:46:48,306 ABRAMS: September of 2018, 882 00:46:48,389 --> 00:46:51,059 I went home to visit my grandmother. 883 00:46:52,101 --> 00:46:54,187 ♪ ♪ 884 00:46:57,440 --> 00:47:01,778 And Grandma had a recliner that sat right next to her bed. 885 00:47:03,988 --> 00:47:06,241 When you go to visit my grandma, you sat down 886 00:47:06,324 --> 00:47:07,951 because you did not want to interrupt 887 00:47:08,034 --> 00:47:10,245 whatever it was she was watching. 888 00:47:11,955 --> 00:47:14,999 And so, I sat on the bedside waiting for her attention, 889 00:47:15,083 --> 00:47:19,128 and, uh, she turned to me. 890 00:47:19,212 --> 00:47:21,172 And unprompted, my grandmother reached for my hand, 891 00:47:21,256 --> 00:47:24,926 and she started telling me about the first time she voted. 892 00:47:26,344 --> 00:47:27,679 It was three years after 893 00:47:27,762 --> 00:47:30,223 the adoption of the Voting Rights Act. 894 00:47:30,306 --> 00:47:32,642 But it was the first time for most African Americans 895 00:47:32,725 --> 00:47:34,394 that they really would have a chance 896 00:47:34,477 --> 00:47:36,062 to participate in an election. 897 00:47:38,064 --> 00:47:39,357 And this was during a time 898 00:47:39,440 --> 00:47:40,900 where you put on your Sunday best 899 00:47:40,984 --> 00:47:44,195 and you would make an event out of going to vote. 900 00:47:45,530 --> 00:47:47,699 My grandfather called for her from the front room. 901 00:47:47,782 --> 00:47:48,866 Her name was Wilter. 902 00:47:48,950 --> 00:47:50,201 And he’s like, "Wilter, come on!" 903 00:47:50,285 --> 00:47:51,786 She didn’t respond. 904 00:47:51,869 --> 00:47:53,246 Her nickname was Bill. 905 00:47:53,329 --> 00:47:55,790 And so then he yelled out, "Bill, it’s time to go." 906 00:47:55,873 --> 00:47:59,294 And my grandmother said... she still didn’t say anything. 907 00:47:59,377 --> 00:48:03,590 So he came back to find out why she hadn’t responded. 908 00:48:03,673 --> 00:48:07,802 And she was frozen. She was afraid to go. 909 00:48:09,512 --> 00:48:11,264 I remember her squeezing my hand 910 00:48:11,347 --> 00:48:14,976 and the feel of that paper-thin skin 911 00:48:15,059 --> 00:48:16,978 and the fragile bones 912 00:48:17,061 --> 00:48:19,022 but this grip that she had on my hand 913 00:48:19,105 --> 00:48:22,025 where she said that it wasn’t that she didn’t want to vote; 914 00:48:22,108 --> 00:48:23,568 she was afraid of it. 915 00:48:23,651 --> 00:48:25,612 (clamoring) 916 00:48:25,695 --> 00:48:28,323 She was afraid of the billy clubs 917 00:48:28,406 --> 00:48:31,618 and the hoses and the dogs, and she did not believe 918 00:48:31,701 --> 00:48:34,037 that this time would be any different. 919 00:48:34,120 --> 00:48:37,457 She didn’t believe that the power of democracy 920 00:48:37,540 --> 00:48:39,459 was finally hers. 921 00:48:41,085 --> 00:48:44,088 And my grandfather told her that she had to get up, 922 00:48:44,172 --> 00:48:46,007 that her children had been in trouble 923 00:48:46,090 --> 00:48:47,592 trying to guarantee this right 924 00:48:47,675 --> 00:48:50,094 and that she owed it to them, if not to herself, 925 00:48:50,178 --> 00:48:51,638 to get up and vote. 926 00:48:51,721 --> 00:48:53,348 And she said she was still terrified, 927 00:48:53,431 --> 00:48:56,017 she was still deeply afraid of this moment, 928 00:48:56,100 --> 00:48:58,061 but she was also ashamed of herself. 929 00:48:58,144 --> 00:49:01,314 She was ashamed that she didn’t want to reach for this power. 930 00:49:05,193 --> 00:49:07,195 She got up, she finished getting dressed, 931 00:49:07,278 --> 00:49:09,447 and they went to vote. 932 00:49:12,742 --> 00:49:14,535 And as squeezed my hand, she said, "But, Stacey, 933 00:49:14,619 --> 00:49:16,245 I’ve never missed another election." 934 00:49:32,470 --> 00:49:34,222 PAUL B. JOHNSON JR.: Mississippi and the other 935 00:49:34,305 --> 00:49:39,018 Southern states are engaged in a life-and-death fight 936 00:49:39,102 --> 00:49:41,229 with the federal government. 937 00:49:41,312 --> 00:49:44,107 What is this fight all about? 938 00:49:44,190 --> 00:49:47,944 The Voting Rights Act of 1965. 939 00:49:48,027 --> 00:49:51,864 Insofar as the Negro is concerned, 940 00:49:51,948 --> 00:49:56,828 it will suspend all literacy requirements 941 00:49:56,911 --> 00:49:59,038 of the Mississippi law. 942 00:49:59,122 --> 00:50:01,416 Georgia has no problem 943 00:50:01,499 --> 00:50:04,127 with reference to voter registration. 944 00:50:04,210 --> 00:50:07,922 We do not need federal registrars in this state. 945 00:50:08,005 --> 00:50:11,718 I am unalterably opposed and will fight to the end 946 00:50:11,801 --> 00:50:14,178 any attempts to reshape or mold our state 947 00:50:14,262 --> 00:50:16,556 to conform to the prescription written 948 00:50:16,639 --> 00:50:19,726 by dictatorial left-wing integrationist social planners 949 00:50:19,809 --> 00:50:22,478 daydreaming on the bank of the Potomac. 950 00:50:22,562 --> 00:50:24,439 BERMAN: The Southern states challenged 951 00:50:24,522 --> 00:50:26,524 the Voting Rights Act immediately 952 00:50:26,607 --> 00:50:28,985 in the courts as unconstitutional. 953 00:50:29,068 --> 00:50:30,278 But they fail. 954 00:50:30,361 --> 00:50:33,072 The Supreme Court upholds the law eight-to-one. 955 00:50:33,156 --> 00:50:35,408 ♪ ♪ 956 00:50:38,035 --> 00:50:40,037 ADEGBILE: If you frame the argument, 957 00:50:40,121 --> 00:50:41,497 "Who doesn’t believe that people 958 00:50:41,581 --> 00:50:43,124 should be allowed to vote?" 959 00:50:43,207 --> 00:50:45,960 while there will be some people that will raise their hand, 960 00:50:46,043 --> 00:50:47,587 most Americans believe 961 00:50:47,670 --> 00:50:50,131 that citizens should be allowed to vote. 962 00:50:51,424 --> 00:50:52,633 (applause) 963 00:50:52,717 --> 00:50:55,511 GERALD FORD: The bill that I will sign today 964 00:50:55,595 --> 00:50:58,055 extends the temporary provisions of the act 965 00:50:58,139 --> 00:51:02,351 for seven more years and broadens the provisions 966 00:51:02,435 --> 00:51:06,481 to bar discrimination against Spanish-speaking Americans, 967 00:51:06,564 --> 00:51:09,776 American Indians, Alaskan Natives 968 00:51:09,859 --> 00:51:12,528 -and Asian Americans. -(applause) 969 00:51:12,612 --> 00:51:14,989 ABRAMS: The Voting Rights Act began 970 00:51:15,072 --> 00:51:16,949 with the former Confederate states, 971 00:51:17,033 --> 00:51:19,452 but this was a law that understood 972 00:51:19,535 --> 00:51:22,580 that discrimination could crop up anywhere. 973 00:51:22,663 --> 00:51:24,540 The state of Arizona was such a bad actor 974 00:51:24,624 --> 00:51:27,126 that in 1975 the U.S. Justice Department 975 00:51:27,210 --> 00:51:31,255 added Arizona to the process because of their long history 976 00:51:31,339 --> 00:51:34,300 of discrimination against Latinos and Native Americans. 977 00:51:34,383 --> 00:51:36,385 (indistinct chanting) 978 00:51:37,887 --> 00:51:41,307 BERMAN: Hispanics were facing some of the same kind of things 979 00:51:41,390 --> 00:51:44,644 in Arizona, in Texas, across the Southwest, 980 00:51:44,727 --> 00:51:48,231 that African Americans faced in the segregated South. 981 00:51:50,650 --> 00:51:54,737 Things like literacy tests, voter intimidation. 982 00:51:55,613 --> 00:51:57,824 They said, "We need protection 983 00:51:57,907 --> 00:52:00,535 in the Voting Rights Act as well." 984 00:52:01,410 --> 00:52:02,995 Maricopa County is the largest 985 00:52:03,079 --> 00:52:05,873 and most important county in Arizona. 986 00:52:07,083 --> 00:52:10,253 From 1960 to 1964, 987 00:52:10,336 --> 00:52:15,424 William Rehnquist was in charge of ballot security operations 988 00:52:15,508 --> 00:52:18,177 for the Republican Party of Maricopa County. 989 00:52:18,261 --> 00:52:20,805 This was called Operation Eagle Eye. 990 00:52:21,973 --> 00:52:24,141 And what Rehnquist and others did 991 00:52:24,225 --> 00:52:27,603 was they went to Democratic parts of Phoenix 992 00:52:27,687 --> 00:52:30,982 and they asked Latino and African American voters 993 00:52:31,065 --> 00:52:33,067 if they could read the Constitution. 994 00:52:33,150 --> 00:52:36,320 So, this was a de facto literacy test. 995 00:52:36,404 --> 00:52:38,030 And if people could not read it 996 00:52:38,114 --> 00:52:40,449 to the satisfaction of Rehnquist and others, 997 00:52:40,533 --> 00:52:43,369 Rehnquist challenged their eligibility to vote. 998 00:52:45,663 --> 00:52:47,081 William Rehnquist, the future 999 00:52:47,164 --> 00:52:49,292 chief justice of the Supreme Court, 1000 00:52:49,375 --> 00:52:52,503 was on the front lines of voter suppression 1001 00:52:52,587 --> 00:52:57,383 in Maricopa County, Arizona, all the way back in the 1960s. 1002 00:53:00,636 --> 00:53:04,015 NEWSWOMAN: America’s most unwelcoming prison regime 1003 00:53:04,098 --> 00:53:06,392 likes to advertise it always has vacancies. 1004 00:53:06,475 --> 00:53:10,688 JOE ARPAIO: It shows I will always have room for illegals. 1005 00:53:10,771 --> 00:53:12,690 NEWSWOMAN: The man who calls himself 1006 00:53:12,773 --> 00:53:14,150 America’s toughest sheriff 1007 00:53:14,233 --> 00:53:16,944 makes his prison as unpleasant as possible. 1008 00:53:17,028 --> 00:53:19,322 ALEJANDRA GOMEZ: Arpaio became 1009 00:53:19,405 --> 00:53:23,159 the face of terror for our community. 1010 00:53:25,244 --> 00:53:28,581 We would see posses going to neighborhoods 1011 00:53:28,664 --> 00:53:30,333 to do roundups. 1012 00:53:30,416 --> 00:53:35,504 There were checkpoints to ask people for their papers. 1013 00:53:37,006 --> 00:53:40,009 It created a righteous anger, saying that we deserve more 1014 00:53:40,092 --> 00:53:44,847 and we do not deserve to live under this. 1015 00:53:46,182 --> 00:53:49,101 MAN (chanting): We gotta tell the whole world! 1016 00:53:49,185 --> 00:53:51,395 GROUP: This is ACE territory! 1017 00:53:51,479 --> 00:53:53,189 I said, my people! 1018 00:53:53,272 --> 00:53:54,357 GROUP: Yeah! 1019 00:53:54,440 --> 00:53:56,484 -We got a story! -Yeah! 1020 00:53:56,567 --> 00:53:59,320 We gotta tell the whole world! 1021 00:53:59,403 --> 00:54:01,697 This is ACE territory! 1022 00:54:01,781 --> 00:54:03,908 All right. How’s everybody doing? 1023 00:54:03,991 --> 00:54:05,284 -GROUP: Good. -Good? 1024 00:54:05,368 --> 00:54:07,078 How’s everybody doing, y’all? 1025 00:54:07,161 --> 00:54:09,246 -(louder): Good. -All right, dope. 1026 00:54:09,330 --> 00:54:12,750 About almost three years ago, it was my first day at LUCHA. 1027 00:54:12,833 --> 00:54:14,377 And Stephanie was up here at the front, 1028 00:54:14,460 --> 00:54:15,544 and she was talking about 1029 00:54:15,628 --> 00:54:17,254 how we’re gonna register a lot of people to vote. 1030 00:54:17,338 --> 00:54:19,090 And I remember her giving me the clipboard, right? 1031 00:54:19,173 --> 00:54:21,467 And she was like, "All right, we’re gonna go to Walmart." 1032 00:54:21,550 --> 00:54:24,095 -And I was so scared. -(laughter) 1033 00:54:24,178 --> 00:54:25,888 ♪ I’m still hopin’ for the tours wide open... ♪ 1034 00:54:25,972 --> 00:54:28,099 GOMEZ: Our volunteers are standing on the shoulders 1035 00:54:28,182 --> 00:54:31,644 of folks that have paved the way for us to be able 1036 00:54:31,727 --> 00:54:35,356 to cast that ballot and become part of 1037 00:54:35,439 --> 00:54:40,319 a power community that is now impacting policies. 1038 00:54:40,403 --> 00:54:42,363 Hi. 1039 00:54:42,446 --> 00:54:44,240 Are you a registered voter? 1040 00:54:44,323 --> 00:54:45,950 No? How come? 1041 00:54:46,033 --> 00:54:47,576 Are you a citizen? 1042 00:54:47,660 --> 00:54:48,953 Hola. 1043 00:54:49,036 --> 00:54:51,163 (speaking Spanish) 1044 00:54:54,208 --> 00:54:56,794 GOMEZ: There is always a debate on: 1045 00:54:56,877 --> 00:54:59,630 Why aren’t our communities participating? 1046 00:54:59,714 --> 00:55:02,299 -I’m already registered. -Oh, you are? What about y’all? 1047 00:55:02,383 --> 00:55:03,634 No, I’m not. 1048 00:55:03,718 --> 00:55:05,428 No? How come? 1049 00:55:05,511 --> 00:55:06,846 I don’t know. I don’t... 1050 00:55:06,929 --> 00:55:09,390 I don’t trust poli... politicians. 1051 00:55:09,473 --> 00:55:10,766 No, you’re right. 1052 00:55:10,850 --> 00:55:12,560 And so it’s like, I’m out here doing my thing. 1053 00:55:12,643 --> 00:55:14,145 No, heck yeah. I feel like... 1054 00:55:14,228 --> 00:55:15,771 I-I mean, that’s how I thought, too, right? 1055 00:55:15,855 --> 00:55:18,941 GOMEZ: The most important part of voter registration 1056 00:55:19,025 --> 00:55:21,068 is that human connection 1057 00:55:21,152 --> 00:55:25,072 and being able to understand why that person 1058 00:55:25,156 --> 00:55:26,907 does not trust. 1059 00:55:26,991 --> 00:55:29,076 (siren wailing) 1060 00:55:30,870 --> 00:55:34,915 Intimidation from the government is real. 1061 00:55:34,999 --> 00:55:37,418 It is powerful. 1062 00:55:37,501 --> 00:55:40,087 And it is because of the changing demographics 1063 00:55:40,171 --> 00:55:41,505 in the nation. 1064 00:55:41,589 --> 00:55:47,053 It is the fear of what this larger vote can mean. 1065 00:55:47,136 --> 00:55:49,305 (cheering and applause) 1066 00:55:52,600 --> 00:55:54,852 ("Beautiful Day" by U2 playing) 1067 00:55:54,935 --> 00:55:58,731 ♪ It’s a beautiful day ♪ 1068 00:55:58,814 --> 00:56:02,818 ♪ Don’t let it get away ♪ 1069 00:56:02,902 --> 00:56:06,781 ♪ Beautiful day ♪ 1070 00:56:10,576 --> 00:56:12,453 ♪ Touch me... ♪ 1071 00:56:12,536 --> 00:56:15,372 If there is anyone out there 1072 00:56:15,456 --> 00:56:19,085 who still doubts that America is a place 1073 00:56:19,168 --> 00:56:22,463 where all things are possible, 1074 00:56:22,546 --> 00:56:24,590 who still wonders 1075 00:56:24,673 --> 00:56:29,178 if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, 1076 00:56:29,261 --> 00:56:33,599 who still questions the power of our democracy, 1077 00:56:33,682 --> 00:56:36,769 tonight is your answer. 1078 00:56:36,852 --> 00:56:38,771 (cheering) 1079 00:56:38,854 --> 00:56:41,732 (fanfare playing) 1080 00:56:44,068 --> 00:56:46,195 BERMAN: Opponents of the Voting Rights Act 1081 00:56:46,278 --> 00:56:48,322 seized on Barack Obama’s election 1082 00:56:48,405 --> 00:56:50,116 as a reason why the Voting Rights Act 1083 00:56:50,199 --> 00:56:52,243 was no longer necessary. 1084 00:56:53,577 --> 00:56:57,623 At the very moment that you see the ultimate progress, 1085 00:56:57,706 --> 00:57:01,043 you see conservatives embracing that progress 1086 00:57:01,127 --> 00:57:03,504 as a reason to try to get rid of the law 1087 00:57:03,587 --> 00:57:06,048 that made Obama’s election possible. 1088 00:57:07,508 --> 00:57:10,469 ANDERSON: Barack Obama scared the bejeebers out of them. 1089 00:57:11,971 --> 00:57:16,934 He brought 15 million new voters to the polls. 1090 00:57:17,017 --> 00:57:18,894 (crowd cheering) 1091 00:57:18,978 --> 00:57:22,022 This is what we should be celebrating: 1092 00:57:22,106 --> 00:57:25,484 bringing 15 million new people 1093 00:57:25,568 --> 00:57:29,488 into this incredible civic society, 1094 00:57:29,572 --> 00:57:31,198 engaged in this democracy, 1095 00:57:31,282 --> 00:57:34,201 believing that they have a stake in this democracy 1096 00:57:34,285 --> 00:57:37,288 and getting out to vote. 1097 00:57:37,371 --> 00:57:41,333 Instead, that Obama coalition 1098 00:57:41,417 --> 00:57:45,546 becomes the hit list for voter suppression. 1099 00:57:45,629 --> 00:57:49,175 How do we stop African Americans, 1100 00:57:49,258 --> 00:57:51,927 Hispanics, Asian Americans, 1101 00:57:52,011 --> 00:57:56,140 the young and the poor from voting? 1102 00:57:57,600 --> 00:58:02,646 The Supreme Court decision, Shelby County v. Holder, 1103 00:58:02,730 --> 00:58:04,982 allowed that to happen. 1104 00:58:05,065 --> 00:58:07,193 ♪ ♪ 1105 00:58:11,739 --> 00:58:14,408 BERMAN: Shelby County, Alabama-- 1106 00:58:14,491 --> 00:58:16,577 there was an election there 1107 00:58:16,660 --> 00:58:19,246 in which the districts were redrawn... 1108 00:58:22,499 --> 00:58:26,170 ...so that the only African American 1109 00:58:26,253 --> 00:58:29,548 city council member lost his race. 1110 00:58:29,632 --> 00:58:31,759 Voter suppression and gerrymandering 1111 00:58:31,842 --> 00:58:34,470 are two sides of the same coin: 1112 00:58:34,553 --> 00:58:37,181 efforts by politicians in power 1113 00:58:37,264 --> 00:58:39,183 to try to manipulate the process 1114 00:58:39,266 --> 00:58:42,186 to benefit themselves at the expense of others. 1115 00:58:42,269 --> 00:58:43,938 Gerrymandering is a real problem. 1116 00:58:44,021 --> 00:58:46,482 It’s the practice of drawing voting districts 1117 00:58:46,565 --> 00:58:48,359 in a way that creates unfair advantages 1118 00:58:48,442 --> 00:58:50,319 for whoever happens to be drawing the lines. 1119 00:58:50,402 --> 00:58:52,780 A.E. DICK HOWARD: In the age of computers, 1120 00:58:52,863 --> 00:58:54,823 you can gerrymander with scientific precision. 1121 00:58:54,907 --> 00:58:56,617 You can run in and out of alleys 1122 00:58:56,700 --> 00:58:58,118 and up and down streets 1123 00:58:58,202 --> 00:59:01,121 and carefully include and exclude whichever voters 1124 00:59:01,205 --> 00:59:03,832 you want in one district and not in another. 1125 00:59:03,916 --> 00:59:06,335 Shouldn’t all of this be illegal? 1126 00:59:06,418 --> 00:59:07,711 Well, that’s complicated. 1127 00:59:07,795 --> 00:59:09,171 Because if you are gerrymandering 1128 00:59:09,255 --> 00:59:10,881 to disadvantage minorities, 1129 00:59:10,965 --> 00:59:14,301 yes, that is illegal under the Voting Rights Act, 1130 00:59:14,385 --> 00:59:16,553 but if you are gerrymandering to disadvantage 1131 00:59:16,637 --> 00:59:18,389 voters of an opposing party, 1132 00:59:18,472 --> 00:59:20,683 that has generally been allowed. 1133 00:59:29,525 --> 00:59:35,114 ANDERSON: Shelby County willfully violated federal law. 1134 00:59:35,197 --> 00:59:37,658 They didn’t bother to go up to the Department of Justice 1135 00:59:37,741 --> 00:59:39,368 to check on whether it was okay 1136 00:59:39,451 --> 00:59:42,079 as they were changing the voting boundaries 1137 00:59:42,162 --> 00:59:44,373 as the Voting Rights Act required. 1138 00:59:44,456 --> 00:59:47,960 When they got called on it, when they got sued, 1139 00:59:48,043 --> 00:59:50,170 they said, "We didn’t do anything wrong. 1140 00:59:50,254 --> 00:59:52,131 The era of racism is over." 1141 00:59:52,214 --> 00:59:54,550 ♪ ♪ 1142 00:59:54,633 --> 00:59:57,303 ERIC HOLDER: What had been bipartisan before 1143 00:59:57,386 --> 01:00:02,850 became extremely partisan after the election of Barack Obama. 1144 01:00:02,933 --> 01:00:07,187 You know, people tend to forget that Republicans supported it. 1145 01:00:07,271 --> 01:00:09,481 Every reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act 1146 01:00:09,565 --> 01:00:11,525 was signed by a Republican president. 1147 01:00:11,608 --> 01:00:13,485 I think that democracy, if it’s to work, 1148 01:00:13,569 --> 01:00:15,654 then everybody that’s eligible to be a voter 1149 01:00:15,738 --> 01:00:17,781 should be registered, and they should vote. 1150 01:00:17,865 --> 01:00:20,909 I am proud to sign the Voting Rights Act 1151 01:00:20,993 --> 01:00:24,997 Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006. 1152 01:00:25,080 --> 01:00:26,957 ADEGBILE: Ronald Reagan called it 1153 01:00:27,041 --> 01:00:29,793 the crown jewel of American democracy, 1154 01:00:29,877 --> 01:00:32,629 but with every subsequent reauthorization, 1155 01:00:32,713 --> 01:00:34,923 there’s a legal challenge brought. 1156 01:00:40,888 --> 01:00:43,640 KRISTEN CLARKE: It’s a seemingly coordinated strategy 1157 01:00:43,724 --> 01:00:46,310 that we have seen waged by opponents 1158 01:00:46,393 --> 01:00:50,105 to rip out the heart of the Voting Rights Act. 1159 01:00:50,189 --> 01:00:51,732 It was almost a strategy of, 1160 01:00:51,815 --> 01:00:54,068 "Let’s throw spaghetti against the wall 1161 01:00:54,151 --> 01:00:56,070 and see which one sticks." 1162 01:00:59,698 --> 01:01:02,534 The Shelby County case is the one 1163 01:01:02,618 --> 01:01:05,996 that survived the lower courts 1164 01:01:06,080 --> 01:01:11,085 and winded its way up to the Supreme Court. 1165 01:01:12,669 --> 01:01:14,380 NEWSMAN: The Supreme Court hears a challenge 1166 01:01:14,463 --> 01:01:17,549 to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. 1167 01:01:17,633 --> 01:01:18,717 Its detractors say 1168 01:01:18,801 --> 01:01:20,928 the Voting Rights Act is out of date. 1169 01:01:21,011 --> 01:01:24,306 Its defenders consider it a needed bulwark for justice. 1170 01:01:24,390 --> 01:01:26,517 SCOTT PELLEY: The Voting Rights Act requires nine states 1171 01:01:26,600 --> 01:01:29,853 to get federal approval of changes to their election laws. 1172 01:01:29,937 --> 01:01:31,772 BERT REIN: From a lawyer’s point of view, 1173 01:01:31,855 --> 01:01:35,943 this is a valid legal case and it could be honorably argued. 1174 01:01:36,026 --> 01:01:39,988 And that’s the business we’re in, so we took the case. 1175 01:01:40,072 --> 01:01:41,573 JOHN ROBERTS: We’ll hear argument first 1176 01:01:41,657 --> 01:01:44,368 this morning in case Shelby County v. Holder. 1177 01:01:44,451 --> 01:01:46,036 Mr. Rein? 1178 01:01:46,120 --> 01:01:48,705 REIN: Mr. Chief Justice, and may it please the court... 1179 01:01:48,789 --> 01:01:50,332 We argued that the Voting Rights Act 1180 01:01:50,416 --> 01:01:53,210 was probably one of the deepest intrusions 1181 01:01:53,293 --> 01:01:55,421 of the federal government into areas 1182 01:01:55,504 --> 01:01:57,923 that states traditionally administered. 1183 01:01:58,006 --> 01:02:00,551 Think that that really doesn’t mask the need 1184 01:02:00,634 --> 01:02:03,554 for equal treatment of the sovereign states. 1185 01:02:03,637 --> 01:02:05,639 SONIA SOTOMAYOR: I’m gonna have a hard time with that. 1186 01:02:05,722 --> 01:02:07,349 You can’t treat states the same, 1187 01:02:07,433 --> 01:02:08,809 because their problems are different, 1188 01:02:08,892 --> 01:02:10,185 their populations are different, 1189 01:02:10,269 --> 01:02:11,437 their needs are different. 1190 01:02:11,520 --> 01:02:12,604 Everything’s different. 1191 01:02:12,688 --> 01:02:14,189 ANTONIN SCALIA: All of the noncovered states 1192 01:02:14,273 --> 01:02:17,401 are worse in that regard than the nine covered states. 1193 01:02:17,484 --> 01:02:19,236 -Is that correct? -ADEGBILE: J-Justice Scalia... 1194 01:02:19,319 --> 01:02:20,863 SCALIA: Every-every one of them is worse? 1195 01:02:20,946 --> 01:02:22,531 ADEGBILE: Justice Scalia, it’s-it’s a fair question. 1196 01:02:22,614 --> 01:02:24,199 -It... -SCALIA: Not just a fair one. 1197 01:02:24,283 --> 01:02:25,784 It’s the crucial question. 1198 01:02:25,868 --> 01:02:27,578 ADEGBILE: The South has changed and made progress, 1199 01:02:27,661 --> 01:02:29,872 but some things remain stubbornly the same, 1200 01:02:29,955 --> 01:02:31,790 and the trained effort 1201 01:02:31,874 --> 01:02:34,501 to deny African American voters the franchise 1202 01:02:34,585 --> 01:02:37,796 is part of Alabama’s history to this very day. 1203 01:02:37,880 --> 01:02:40,090 ROBERTS: Have there been episodes-- egregious episodes-- 1204 01:02:40,174 --> 01:02:41,925 of the kind you’re talking about 1205 01:02:42,009 --> 01:02:43,594 in states that are not covered? 1206 01:02:43,677 --> 01:02:45,387 ADEGBILE: Absolutely, Chief Justice Roberts. 1207 01:02:45,471 --> 01:02:48,015 ROBERTS: Well, then it doesn’t seem to help you make the point 1208 01:02:48,098 --> 01:02:50,934 that the differential treatment continues to be justified. 1209 01:02:51,018 --> 01:02:53,854 BERMAN: John Roberts had it out for the Voting Rights Act 1210 01:02:53,937 --> 01:02:56,565 as far back as 1982. 1211 01:02:56,648 --> 01:03:00,486 Early in his political career, it was John Roberts’s job 1212 01:03:00,569 --> 01:03:02,696 to try to prevent the Congress 1213 01:03:02,779 --> 01:03:05,324 from reauthorizing the Voting Rights Act. 1214 01:03:06,241 --> 01:03:07,451 ANDERSON: John Roberts, 1215 01:03:07,534 --> 01:03:10,370 his mentor was William Rehnquist. 1216 01:03:10,454 --> 01:03:13,624 This is why this lineage is so important. 1217 01:03:13,707 --> 01:03:17,294 Because he hated the Voting Rights Act. 1218 01:03:18,587 --> 01:03:20,964 ADEGBILE: I knew that this was an important act. 1219 01:03:21,048 --> 01:03:23,091 I knew that it was doing important work, 1220 01:03:23,175 --> 01:03:25,010 and I knew that it would be a disaster 1221 01:03:25,093 --> 01:03:27,262 for the court to strike it down. 1222 01:03:31,475 --> 01:03:34,478 A controversial ruling today by the Supreme Court. 1223 01:03:34,561 --> 01:03:36,396 GWEN IFILL: Five-to-four, the U.S. Supreme Court 1224 01:03:36,480 --> 01:03:39,733 took the teeth out of a law enacted nearly 50 years ago. 1225 01:03:39,816 --> 01:03:42,903 It invalidated a key part of the Voting Rights Act. 1226 01:03:42,986 --> 01:03:44,488 NEWSWOMAN: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 1227 01:03:44,571 --> 01:03:47,574 joined by the three other liberal justices, said... 1228 01:04:02,631 --> 01:04:05,759 I am deeply disappointed... deeply disappointed 1229 01:04:05,842 --> 01:04:08,637 with the court’s decision in this matter. 1230 01:04:08,720 --> 01:04:09,930 This decision represents 1231 01:04:10,013 --> 01:04:12,057 a serious setback for voting rights 1232 01:04:12,140 --> 01:04:14,935 and has the potential to negatively affect 1233 01:04:15,018 --> 01:04:17,563 millions of Americans across the country. 1234 01:04:17,646 --> 01:04:19,189 I don’t know if it’s appropriate to say-- 1235 01:04:19,273 --> 01:04:20,899 I was pissed off by what the, uh... 1236 01:04:20,983 --> 01:04:22,109 by what the court did. 1237 01:04:22,192 --> 01:04:24,486 -Thank you. -It really struck home 1238 01:04:24,570 --> 01:04:26,488 that this was a political decision 1239 01:04:26,572 --> 01:04:28,365 that the court was making. 1240 01:04:28,448 --> 01:04:30,909 Justice Ginsburg was correct. 1241 01:04:30,993 --> 01:04:32,411 If you have an umbrella 1242 01:04:32,494 --> 01:04:34,913 that keeps you dry in the middle of a thunderstorm, 1243 01:04:34,997 --> 01:04:36,623 the fact that you are dry doesn’t mean 1244 01:04:36,707 --> 01:04:38,250 that you don’t need the umbrella. 1245 01:04:38,333 --> 01:04:40,502 ABRAMS: Every single one of those states 1246 01:04:40,586 --> 01:04:44,381 that was covered previously by the Voting Rights Act was told, 1247 01:04:44,464 --> 01:04:46,800 "Never mind. We think you’re good now. Go forth." 1248 01:04:46,883 --> 01:04:50,345 The floodgates literally opened in 2013 1249 01:04:50,429 --> 01:04:53,724 when the Supreme Court issued its ruling. 1250 01:04:53,807 --> 01:04:55,767 The ink on Tuesday’s ruling wasn’t even dry 1251 01:04:55,851 --> 01:04:58,020 when Texas’s Republican attorney general declared 1252 01:04:58,103 --> 01:05:00,397 that his state’s controversial voter I.D. law 1253 01:05:00,480 --> 01:05:03,233 will take effect, quote, "immediately." 1254 01:05:05,277 --> 01:05:08,363 WALDMAN: Just hours after the decision came down, 1255 01:05:08,447 --> 01:05:11,450 states began to implement voter suppression laws 1256 01:05:11,533 --> 01:05:13,201 all across the country. 1257 01:05:15,329 --> 01:05:18,624 ANDERSON: Texas took the lead on this one. 1258 01:05:18,707 --> 01:05:21,918 It spread like wildfire. 1259 01:05:22,002 --> 01:05:24,087 So, you’re seeing them in Pennsylvania. 1260 01:05:24,171 --> 01:05:26,715 You’re seeing them in Kansas. 1261 01:05:26,798 --> 01:05:29,635 You’re seeing them in Wisconsin. 1262 01:05:29,718 --> 01:05:31,553 You’re seeing them in Ohio. 1263 01:05:31,637 --> 01:05:33,930 NEWSWOMAN: Nine more states are enforcing new laws 1264 01:05:34,014 --> 01:05:37,267 requiring eligible voters to present a government-issued 1265 01:05:37,351 --> 01:05:38,894 photo I.D. at the polls. 1266 01:05:38,977 --> 01:05:41,146 HANS VON SPAKOVSKY: Overwhelming majority 1267 01:05:41,229 --> 01:05:45,192 of Americans, regardless of their political views 1268 01:05:45,275 --> 01:05:47,319 and regardless of their race or ethnicity, 1269 01:05:47,402 --> 01:05:48,945 support voter I.D. laws. 1270 01:05:49,029 --> 01:05:50,906 This is not Jim Crow. 1271 01:05:50,989 --> 01:05:52,991 This is not a police dog. 1272 01:05:53,075 --> 01:05:54,701 This is not a fire hose. 1273 01:05:54,785 --> 01:05:57,120 When you restrict access to the right to vote 1274 01:05:57,204 --> 01:06:01,500 by creating a narrow set of I.D.’s that can be used, 1275 01:06:01,583 --> 01:06:04,461 it’s creating blocks to people being able to participate. 1276 01:06:04,544 --> 01:06:07,506 They try to make it seem rational 1277 01:06:07,589 --> 01:06:11,301 and facially neutral, racially neutral, but it’s not. 1278 01:06:11,385 --> 01:06:14,429 We had voters who were born in the Jim Crow South 1279 01:06:14,513 --> 01:06:16,515 who had no birth certificates 1280 01:06:16,598 --> 01:06:19,101 because white hospitals would not allow them 1281 01:06:19,184 --> 01:06:21,561 to give birth in their facilities. 1282 01:06:21,645 --> 01:06:24,398 I had my Social Security card, my To Go Pass. 1283 01:06:24,481 --> 01:06:28,110 I had my UnitedHealthcare. 1284 01:06:28,193 --> 01:06:30,404 I had my red, white and blue card. 1285 01:06:30,487 --> 01:06:32,572 And I had my Ford card. 1286 01:06:32,656 --> 01:06:35,617 And that still wasn’t enough to vote. 1287 01:06:35,701 --> 01:06:39,788 About 21 million Americans don’t have strict forms 1288 01:06:39,871 --> 01:06:41,915 of government-issued I.D. 1289 01:06:41,998 --> 01:06:46,086 That works out to about ten percent of the electorate. 1290 01:06:59,391 --> 01:07:00,851 HOLDER: You know, you look at Texas. 1291 01:07:00,934 --> 01:07:02,894 If you have a state-issued photo I.D. 1292 01:07:02,978 --> 01:07:05,188 that says you’re allowed to carry a concealed weapon, 1293 01:07:05,272 --> 01:07:07,607 that’s sufficient to allow you to vote. 1294 01:07:07,691 --> 01:07:09,901 If, however, you have a state-issued photo I.D. 1295 01:07:09,985 --> 01:07:12,279 that says you’re a student at the University of Texas, 1296 01:07:12,362 --> 01:07:14,072 that’s insufficient. 1297 01:07:15,282 --> 01:07:16,992 MICHAEL PARSONS: Young people in America, 1298 01:07:17,075 --> 01:07:19,619 they could have the most power 1299 01:07:19,703 --> 01:07:23,165 of any electoral bloc in the country. 1300 01:07:32,424 --> 01:07:35,093 If you take out one or two campuses, 1301 01:07:35,177 --> 01:07:37,053 you can swing an election. 1302 01:07:37,137 --> 01:07:39,347 So, that’s exactly what New Hampshire Republicans 1303 01:07:39,431 --> 01:07:41,016 decided to do. 1304 01:07:41,099 --> 01:07:44,519 ALLEN: Studies will show that if you can get young adults 1305 01:07:44,603 --> 01:07:47,022 to vote between the ages of 18 and 24, 1306 01:07:47,105 --> 01:07:48,482 they’re more likely to vote 1307 01:07:48,565 --> 01:07:50,776 going further into their adulthood. 1308 01:07:54,029 --> 01:07:58,283 Once you strip someone their access of being able to vote, 1309 01:07:58,366 --> 01:08:03,038 it takes away their role within our democracy. 1310 01:08:04,498 --> 01:08:06,792 ABRAMS: Voter suppression has often targeted communities 1311 01:08:06,875 --> 01:08:08,460 that are seen as nonnormative. 1312 01:08:08,543 --> 01:08:11,421 And we saw this come into sharp relief in North Dakota, 1313 01:08:11,505 --> 01:08:16,051 where a law that required a residential address 1314 01:08:16,134 --> 01:08:19,221 on driver’s licenses seemed benign. 1315 01:08:19,304 --> 01:08:21,515 But the reality was that, for those communities, 1316 01:08:21,598 --> 01:08:23,517 getting a residential address on a reservation 1317 01:08:23,600 --> 01:08:25,477 required that the state or local government 1318 01:08:25,560 --> 01:08:28,271 grant that to you, and it didn’t happen. 1319 01:08:29,856 --> 01:08:31,566 ♪ ♪ 1320 01:08:31,650 --> 01:08:35,070 A majority of Indian country 1321 01:08:35,153 --> 01:08:37,697 does not have physical addresses. 1322 01:08:37,781 --> 01:08:40,283 They use post office boxes. 1323 01:08:49,334 --> 01:08:53,880 It became very evident that the law was created 1324 01:08:53,964 --> 01:08:57,300 to suppress the Native American vote. 1325 01:08:57,384 --> 01:09:01,096 BARB SEMANS: The only way to get recognition is to vote. 1326 01:09:01,179 --> 01:09:05,225 And that’s what it is-- a matter of survival. 1327 01:09:08,144 --> 01:09:11,398 BERMAN: In Wisconsin, they put a new voter I.D. law in effect 1328 01:09:11,481 --> 01:09:13,817 in the run-up to the 2016 election. 1329 01:09:13,900 --> 01:09:16,570 Lot of Republicans, since 1984, in the presidential races, 1330 01:09:16,653 --> 01:09:18,530 have not been able to win in Wisconsin. 1331 01:09:18,613 --> 01:09:20,907 Why would it be any different for a Ted Cruz 1332 01:09:20,991 --> 01:09:22,534 or a Donald Trump? 1333 01:09:22,617 --> 01:09:24,619 Well, I think Hillary Clinton is about the weakest candidate 1334 01:09:24,703 --> 01:09:27,372 the Democrats have ever put up, and now we have photo I.D., 1335 01:09:27,455 --> 01:09:29,249 and I think photo I.D. is gonna make 1336 01:09:29,332 --> 01:09:30,917 a little bit of a difference as well. 1337 01:09:31,001 --> 01:09:35,714 BERMAN: Up to 23,000 people 1338 01:09:35,797 --> 01:09:38,633 were blocked or deterred from voting, 1339 01:09:38,717 --> 01:09:41,678 and Donald Trump only won the state of Wisconsin 1340 01:09:41,761 --> 01:09:44,639 by just over 22,000 votes. 1341 01:09:44,723 --> 01:09:48,643 So, this one restriction in Wisconsin alone 1342 01:09:48,727 --> 01:09:51,062 had a huge impact on Donald Trump 1343 01:09:51,146 --> 01:09:53,899 becoming the next president of the United States. 1344 01:09:58,737 --> 01:10:01,823 PEPPER: Ohio has become, sadly, the leader in creating 1345 01:10:01,907 --> 01:10:04,284 certain types of-of voter suppression 1346 01:10:04,367 --> 01:10:06,161 that other states have followed. 1347 01:10:06,244 --> 01:10:09,456 And there’s no bigger example of that than purging. 1348 01:10:13,376 --> 01:10:16,630 There is certainly need to update your voting rolls. 1349 01:10:16,713 --> 01:10:19,132 People pass away. People move. 1350 01:10:19,215 --> 01:10:22,260 There also are some states that are really smart about this. 1351 01:10:22,344 --> 01:10:24,512 Things like automatic voter registration. 1352 01:10:24,596 --> 01:10:26,222 But Ohio does the exact opposite. 1353 01:10:26,306 --> 01:10:28,058 Ohio’s had a purging process 1354 01:10:28,141 --> 01:10:31,645 where, if you don’t vote in several elections 1355 01:10:31,728 --> 01:10:33,730 and you don’t respond to a postcard, 1356 01:10:33,813 --> 01:10:35,607 you’re knocked off the rolls. 1357 01:10:35,690 --> 01:10:37,776 NEWSMAN: When it comes to the right to vote, 1358 01:10:37,859 --> 01:10:40,403 Ohio is a "use it or lose it" state. 1359 01:10:40,487 --> 01:10:42,572 In a split five-to-four decision, 1360 01:10:42,656 --> 01:10:44,950 the Supreme Court ruled that in Ohio 1361 01:10:45,033 --> 01:10:47,118 you can be dropped from the voter rolls 1362 01:10:47,202 --> 01:10:50,163 if you do not vote for about six years 1363 01:10:50,246 --> 01:10:52,207 and do not respond to a card 1364 01:10:52,290 --> 01:10:53,833 the state sends you in the mail. 1365 01:10:53,917 --> 01:10:55,961 MARCIA FUDGE: They send you a postcard to your house. 1366 01:10:56,044 --> 01:10:59,047 It really does look like a piece of junk mail. 1367 01:10:59,130 --> 01:11:02,050 If you don’t send it back, they assume you’re not there. 1368 01:11:02,133 --> 01:11:03,301 Then they purge you from the roll. 1369 01:11:03,385 --> 01:11:04,886 They say, "Oh, this person didn’t send it back. 1370 01:11:04,970 --> 01:11:06,179 We’re gonna drop them." 1371 01:11:06,262 --> 01:11:08,306 They’re not notified that they have been purged, 1372 01:11:08,390 --> 01:11:09,474 and that-that’s a problem. 1373 01:11:09,557 --> 01:11:12,268 PEPPER: In a state of less than 12 million, 1374 01:11:12,352 --> 01:11:14,604 two million have been purged. 1375 01:11:14,688 --> 01:11:16,314 A lot of people are on that list 1376 01:11:16,398 --> 01:11:18,274 ’cause they move every year; they’re poor. 1377 01:11:18,358 --> 01:11:21,569 They’re going from one place to the next to the next. 1378 01:11:21,653 --> 01:11:23,530 But also, it turns out 1379 01:11:23,613 --> 01:11:25,031 there are thousands and thousands 1380 01:11:25,115 --> 01:11:28,034 of people on this list who had voted recently, 1381 01:11:28,118 --> 01:11:30,912 who were not supposed to be on the purge list. 1382 01:11:30,996 --> 01:11:36,418 20% of those people were on in error-- government error. 1383 01:11:36,501 --> 01:11:38,128 ABRAMS: And in the United States, 1384 01:11:38,211 --> 01:11:40,588 the right to vote is the only right you can lose 1385 01:11:40,672 --> 01:11:41,965 for not using it. 1386 01:11:42,048 --> 01:11:44,342 You can decide not to go hunting on a Saturday, 1387 01:11:44,426 --> 01:11:46,511 and you don’t lose your 2nd Amendment rights. 1388 01:11:46,594 --> 01:11:49,222 But in nine states, it is the law of the land 1389 01:11:49,305 --> 01:11:50,765 that you can lose your right to vote 1390 01:11:50,849 --> 01:11:52,100 simply for not using it. 1391 01:11:55,603 --> 01:11:57,439 After the Shelby decision, 1392 01:11:57,522 --> 01:12:01,693 we saw over 1,600 precincts close in the states 1393 01:12:01,776 --> 01:12:04,446 that were once covered by the Voting Rights Act. 1394 01:12:04,529 --> 01:12:06,406 And when you shut down a polling place 1395 01:12:06,489 --> 01:12:08,199 where someone can go a mile to vote, 1396 01:12:08,283 --> 01:12:09,909 and suddenly they have to go ten miles 1397 01:12:09,993 --> 01:12:12,829 and they don’t have a car, they will not vote. 1398 01:12:14,539 --> 01:12:17,459 Under Brian Kemp, 214 polling places 1399 01:12:17,542 --> 01:12:20,003 shut down in the state of Georgia. 1400 01:12:20,086 --> 01:12:22,881 He used the gutting of the Voting Rights Act 1401 01:12:22,964 --> 01:12:24,632 almost immediately. 1402 01:12:25,550 --> 01:12:27,510 ANDERSON: Jim Crow 2.0. 1403 01:12:27,594 --> 01:12:29,304 That’s what we’re seeing. 1404 01:12:29,387 --> 01:12:33,433 When you look at Georgia in 2018, 1405 01:12:33,516 --> 01:12:36,770 it is the rise of Jim Crow again. 1406 01:12:42,609 --> 01:12:44,277 ABRAMS: The Shelby decision, 1407 01:12:44,360 --> 01:12:46,321 what it did was give carte blanche 1408 01:12:46,404 --> 01:12:48,323 to states like Georgia 1409 01:12:48,406 --> 01:12:52,160 to restore every racist trope they had. 1410 01:12:52,243 --> 01:12:54,454 Had I run for governor in 2012, 1411 01:12:54,537 --> 01:12:57,165 it would have empirically been an easier election. 1412 01:12:57,248 --> 01:12:59,501 ♪ ♪ 1413 01:12:59,584 --> 01:13:02,003 By the time I was running for governor, 1414 01:13:02,087 --> 01:13:04,506 I had had eight years of watching 1415 01:13:04,589 --> 01:13:07,300 the Secretary of State Brian Kemp 1416 01:13:07,383 --> 01:13:11,137 build a national reputation for voter suppression. 1417 01:13:11,221 --> 01:13:13,139 We anticipated that voter suppression 1418 01:13:13,223 --> 01:13:15,517 was part of Brian Kemp’s behavior. 1419 01:13:15,600 --> 01:13:17,435 What we couldn’t anticipate was that 1420 01:13:17,519 --> 01:13:19,896 I was going to be in a fight 1421 01:13:19,979 --> 01:13:23,066 with the very person who controlled the system. 1422 01:13:23,149 --> 01:13:25,652 (news theme plays) 1423 01:13:25,735 --> 01:13:27,320 I got a big truck 1424 01:13:27,403 --> 01:13:29,864 just in case I need to round up criminal illegals 1425 01:13:29,948 --> 01:13:31,157 and take ’em home myself. 1426 01:13:31,241 --> 01:13:34,661 -(engine revs) -Yep, I just said that. 1427 01:13:34,744 --> 01:13:35,954 NEWSMAN: Yeah, he just said that, 1428 01:13:36,037 --> 01:13:38,123 and he’s joining us now, the candidate who calls himself 1429 01:13:38,206 --> 01:13:40,917 "a politically incorrect conservative," 1430 01:13:41,000 --> 01:13:43,086 current Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp. 1431 01:13:43,169 --> 01:13:44,754 Good morning, sir. 1432 01:13:44,838 --> 01:13:46,798 Morning, guys. Great to be on with you. 1433 01:13:49,425 --> 01:13:53,471 ABRAMS: Brian Kemp had the ability to not only be 1434 01:13:53,555 --> 01:13:55,014 the candidate in the race, 1435 01:13:55,098 --> 01:13:57,308 but he was also running the election. 1436 01:13:57,392 --> 01:14:01,062 He was the constitutionally authorized election supervisor. 1437 01:14:01,146 --> 01:14:04,732 That would have been illegal in virtually every other 1438 01:14:04,816 --> 01:14:08,528 advanced democracy in the entire world. 1439 01:14:10,321 --> 01:14:14,159 We sued Brian Kemp multiple times 1440 01:14:14,242 --> 01:14:18,621 over his efforts to lock people out of the ballot box. 1441 01:14:18,705 --> 01:14:22,000 One of his most nefarious schemes 1442 01:14:22,083 --> 01:14:24,127 was called "exact match." 1443 01:14:24,210 --> 01:14:26,045 NEWSWOMAN: More than 53,000 Georgia residents 1444 01:14:26,129 --> 01:14:28,381 have had their registrations put on hold 1445 01:14:28,464 --> 01:14:30,925 thanks to a policy that requires their applications 1446 01:14:31,009 --> 01:14:34,095 to precisely match information from other state agencies. 1447 01:14:34,179 --> 01:14:37,348 Georgia’s population is approximately 32% Black, 1448 01:14:37,432 --> 01:14:39,684 but the list of voter registrations on hold 1449 01:14:39,767 --> 01:14:41,895 is nearly 70% Black. 1450 01:14:41,978 --> 01:14:43,354 (audience laughing) 1451 01:14:43,438 --> 01:14:46,441 Well, well, well. 1452 01:14:46,524 --> 01:14:49,777 My old friend racism. 1453 01:14:49,861 --> 01:14:52,113 I’ve been expecting you. 1454 01:14:53,448 --> 01:14:55,450 The ACLU filed a lawsuit 1455 01:14:55,533 --> 01:14:58,995 because absentee ballots were being rejected 1456 01:14:59,078 --> 01:15:01,122 because the signature on the absentee ballot 1457 01:15:01,206 --> 01:15:04,751 purportedly did not match the signature that was on file. 1458 01:15:04,834 --> 01:15:06,920 The problem is signatures change. 1459 01:15:07,003 --> 01:15:09,422 It’s one of the worst metrics to use. 1460 01:15:09,505 --> 01:15:11,299 A lot of people for whom English 1461 01:15:11,382 --> 01:15:13,301 was not their first language 1462 01:15:13,384 --> 01:15:15,553 will have an inconsistent signature 1463 01:15:15,637 --> 01:15:19,557 because they have to write and sign their American name. 1464 01:15:19,641 --> 01:15:22,977 Asian voters, when they immigrated here, 1465 01:15:23,061 --> 01:15:25,438 they adopted an American name. 1466 01:15:25,521 --> 01:15:29,692 My grandmother had an American signature, 1467 01:15:29,776 --> 01:15:34,864 and she has not been able to sign that name consistently. 1468 01:15:34,948 --> 01:15:38,076 The argument for many of these voter suppression laws 1469 01:15:38,159 --> 01:15:40,036 is this very fallacious argument 1470 01:15:40,119 --> 01:15:42,330 that it’s necessary to stop voter fraud. 1471 01:15:42,413 --> 01:15:44,832 The voter fraud is real. It must be stopped. 1472 01:15:44,916 --> 01:15:46,918 We need every tool to go after it. 1473 01:15:47,001 --> 01:15:49,671 Voter I.D. laws stop voter fraud. 1474 01:15:49,754 --> 01:15:52,090 I’ve dedicated my career to fighting voter fraud 1475 01:15:52,173 --> 01:15:54,467 by doing things like having photo I.D. 1476 01:15:54,550 --> 01:15:57,553 Every time voter fraud occurs, it cancels out the vote 1477 01:15:57,637 --> 01:16:01,599 of a lawful citizen and undermines democracy. 1478 01:16:01,683 --> 01:16:03,518 We can’t let that happen. 1479 01:16:03,601 --> 01:16:05,645 When Donald Trump lost the popular vote, 1480 01:16:05,728 --> 01:16:07,689 he lost it by 2.9 million votes, 1481 01:16:07,772 --> 01:16:10,608 and he said three million people voted illegally. 1482 01:16:10,692 --> 01:16:13,528 And there was no evidence to back this up, 1483 01:16:13,611 --> 01:16:16,239 but this was a dramatic assertion 1484 01:16:16,322 --> 01:16:19,951 of voter fraud on a really unprecedented scale. 1485 01:16:25,790 --> 01:16:28,876 Trump employed this rhetoric to create his own, 1486 01:16:28,960 --> 01:16:31,754 quote, unquote, "Commission on Election Integrity." 1487 01:16:34,716 --> 01:16:38,386 There was really an all-star cast of some of the biggest 1488 01:16:38,469 --> 01:16:41,431 vote suppressors in the Republican Party today. 1489 01:16:41,514 --> 01:16:44,767 People like Hans von Spakovsky of the Heritage Foundation 1490 01:16:44,851 --> 01:16:47,895 that had built the case for voter I.D. laws 1491 01:16:47,979 --> 01:16:50,273 and similar restrictions on voting. 1492 01:16:51,607 --> 01:16:53,943 VON SPAKOVSKY: The president’s Advisory Commission 1493 01:16:54,027 --> 01:16:57,989 wanted to get the voter registration list 1494 01:16:58,072 --> 01:17:00,825 from all the states so they could start doing comparisons 1495 01:17:00,908 --> 01:17:03,161 and find people who were still on the list 1496 01:17:03,244 --> 01:17:05,455 who were deceased, to find individuals 1497 01:17:05,538 --> 01:17:07,957 who were, uh, voting in more than one state. 1498 01:17:08,041 --> 01:17:10,376 Yesterday, the vice chair of that commission 1499 01:17:10,460 --> 01:17:14,255 sent a letter to all 50 states, asking for voter data 1500 01:17:14,339 --> 01:17:17,592 that includes addresses, party I.D., 1501 01:17:17,675 --> 01:17:21,095 voter history and Social Security information. 1502 01:17:21,179 --> 01:17:24,599 This was like a Big Brother data request. 1503 01:17:24,682 --> 01:17:28,770 There was no evidence that the administration would insure 1504 01:17:28,853 --> 01:17:32,190 the privacy and security of this data. 1505 01:17:32,273 --> 01:17:35,985 And moreover, why did they need to know party affiliation? 1506 01:17:36,069 --> 01:17:37,695 Many states resisted that. 1507 01:17:37,779 --> 01:17:39,947 They refused to provide that data. 1508 01:17:40,031 --> 01:17:42,200 NANCY CORDES: Opposition to this is bipartisan, 1509 01:17:42,283 --> 01:17:43,368 to some degree. 1510 01:17:43,451 --> 01:17:45,078 Mississippi’s Secretary of State, 1511 01:17:45,161 --> 01:17:48,998 a Republican, has called it a violation of voters’ privacy 1512 01:17:49,082 --> 01:17:51,209 and said that the commission can, quote, 1513 01:17:51,292 --> 01:17:54,212 "go jump in the Gulf of Mexico." 1514 01:17:54,295 --> 01:17:56,381 BERMAN: The Commission on Election Integrity 1515 01:17:56,464 --> 01:17:57,840 that Donald Trump formed 1516 01:17:57,924 --> 01:17:59,967 was a complete and utter disaster. 1517 01:18:00,051 --> 01:18:03,054 It disbanded without issuing any findings, 1518 01:18:03,137 --> 01:18:06,099 and it found no evidence of voter fraud 1519 01:18:06,182 --> 01:18:08,851 during its entire investigative process. 1520 01:18:15,566 --> 01:18:18,277 We have a database at the Heritage Foundation 1521 01:18:18,361 --> 01:18:19,779 that we’re constantly adding to. 1522 01:18:19,862 --> 01:18:22,907 It has a sampling of proven voter fraud cases, 1523 01:18:22,990 --> 01:18:24,784 uh, from across the country. 1524 01:18:24,867 --> 01:18:28,704 Um, it’s got almost 1,300 cases in it. 1525 01:18:28,788 --> 01:18:30,081 Here’s what they truly found, 1526 01:18:30,164 --> 01:18:31,833 and let’s put it up again for people. 1527 01:18:31,916 --> 01:18:35,420 146 million total registered voters. 1528 01:18:35,503 --> 01:18:40,967 Out of those, there were 2,068 alleged voter fraud cases. 1529 01:18:41,050 --> 01:18:42,927 Okay? So it does happen, 1530 01:18:43,010 --> 01:18:45,555 but it doesn’t happen on a national scale... 1531 01:18:45,638 --> 01:18:46,722 Doesn’t affect the outcome. 1532 01:18:46,806 --> 01:18:48,099 ...that would affect the outcome. 1533 01:18:48,182 --> 01:18:49,684 So, then you ask yourself, 1534 01:18:49,767 --> 01:18:51,686 why do we have this architecture 1535 01:18:51,769 --> 01:18:53,729 of all of these obstacles? 1536 01:18:53,813 --> 01:18:56,732 Voter I.D., gerrymandering, 1537 01:18:56,816 --> 01:18:59,944 purging, poll closures. 1538 01:19:00,027 --> 01:19:02,238 Why do we have all of this 1539 01:19:02,321 --> 01:19:06,451 if voter fraud is virtually nonexistent? 1540 01:19:06,534 --> 01:19:10,913 When you ask that question that way, 1541 01:19:10,997 --> 01:19:14,167 then it leads you down a path 1542 01:19:14,250 --> 01:19:16,669 where America must look at itself again 1543 01:19:16,752 --> 01:19:18,504 the way that it looked at itself 1544 01:19:18,588 --> 01:19:22,341 when it saw the cataclysm on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. 1545 01:19:34,479 --> 01:19:36,564 ♪ ♪ 1546 01:19:40,526 --> 01:19:42,403 ABRAMS: Running for governor 1547 01:19:42,487 --> 01:19:45,656 was about changing what it meant 1548 01:19:45,740 --> 01:19:47,992 to be a leader in Georgia. 1549 01:19:49,827 --> 01:19:51,454 And there’s nothing more transformative 1550 01:19:51,537 --> 01:19:54,582 in the Deep South than a Black woman from poverty 1551 01:19:54,665 --> 01:19:56,834 having opportunity. 1552 01:20:01,130 --> 01:20:03,299 It hadn’t been done before, so I thought 1553 01:20:03,382 --> 01:20:05,259 I would take advantage of the freedom 1554 01:20:05,343 --> 01:20:07,803 to try the things no one else tried. 1555 01:20:09,305 --> 01:20:11,349 We know that voter turnout 1556 01:20:11,432 --> 01:20:14,852 is the best remedy to voter suppression. 1557 01:20:14,936 --> 01:20:17,688 We decided to go after everyone who could vote. 1558 01:20:17,772 --> 01:20:19,273 WOMAN: Y’all already been out to vote? 1559 01:20:19,357 --> 01:20:21,526 We need everybody out there in droves. 1560 01:20:21,609 --> 01:20:22,652 I’ll make sure they vote. 1561 01:20:22,735 --> 01:20:23,819 Matter of fact, they ain’t gonna 1562 01:20:23,903 --> 01:20:24,987 work tomorrow if they don’t vote. 1563 01:20:25,071 --> 01:20:26,239 -Ooh, give me some! -There you go. 1564 01:20:26,322 --> 01:20:27,657 That’s what you got to do. 1565 01:20:27,740 --> 01:20:29,116 -You got to put it out there like that. -That’s right. 1566 01:20:29,200 --> 01:20:32,578 I’ve been out here talking to people who are... 1567 01:20:32,662 --> 01:20:33,871 "Yeah, I’ve never voted before." 1568 01:20:33,955 --> 01:20:35,790 "Oh, I’ve never had someone come to my door before." 1569 01:20:35,873 --> 01:20:39,710 Too often, politicians only go to the people they know, 1570 01:20:39,794 --> 01:20:43,756 and they only engage the people they can rely on. 1571 01:20:43,839 --> 01:20:45,508 But go out there, man. We’re trying to make history. 1572 01:20:45,591 --> 01:20:47,343 -You know what I’m saying? -Yeah, I’m gonna vote. 1573 01:20:47,426 --> 01:20:48,928 All right, that’s what I want to hear. 1574 01:20:49,011 --> 01:20:50,263 ABRAMS: Which means you don’t adapt 1575 01:20:50,346 --> 01:20:51,639 to the changing needs of community. 1576 01:20:51,722 --> 01:20:53,432 Thank you so much for your time. 1577 01:20:54,517 --> 01:20:56,894 PIVEN: Among democratic countries, 1578 01:20:56,978 --> 01:20:59,689 the United States stands out 1579 01:20:59,772 --> 01:21:03,734 for having very low voter turnout. 1580 01:21:03,818 --> 01:21:07,697 Politicians produced the system 1581 01:21:07,780 --> 01:21:11,784 because elections are easier to manage 1582 01:21:11,867 --> 01:21:14,412 if the electorate is smaller. 1583 01:21:14,495 --> 01:21:15,955 (cheering and applause) 1584 01:21:16,038 --> 01:21:18,457 Hello, Georgia! 1585 01:21:20,626 --> 01:21:22,712 I was asking everybody, "You know Stacey Abrams? 1586 01:21:22,795 --> 01:21:24,380 -"You know Stacey Abrams? -(laughter) 1587 01:21:24,463 --> 01:21:25,715 You know Stacey Abrams?" 1588 01:21:25,798 --> 01:21:27,550 Finally, somebody said, "I know Stacey Abrams." 1589 01:21:27,633 --> 01:21:29,552 And they said, "I have her cell number." 1590 01:21:29,635 --> 01:21:31,178 I go, "Give it to me." 1591 01:21:31,262 --> 01:21:32,513 (laughter) 1592 01:21:32,597 --> 01:21:34,223 "I will call her up right now." 1593 01:21:34,307 --> 01:21:37,810 So I called Stacey Abrams, and I said, 1594 01:21:37,893 --> 01:21:40,396 "Stacey, this is Oprah." 1595 01:21:40,479 --> 01:21:42,982 (laughter, cheering) 1596 01:21:43,065 --> 01:21:44,650 You know what she said? 1597 01:21:44,734 --> 01:21:47,486 She said, "Girl, let me pull over to the side of the road." 1598 01:21:47,570 --> 01:21:49,030 (laughter, applause) 1599 01:21:49,113 --> 01:21:51,490 Ladies and gentlemen, Stacey Abrams! 1600 01:21:51,574 --> 01:21:54,660 (cheering) 1601 01:21:54,744 --> 01:21:57,288 CROWD (chanting): Stacey! Stacey! Stacey! 1602 01:21:57,371 --> 01:21:59,582 My name is Stacey Abrams, and I am running to be 1603 01:21:59,665 --> 01:22:01,626 the next governor of the great state of Georgia. 1604 01:22:01,709 --> 01:22:03,002 (cheering) 1605 01:22:03,085 --> 01:22:04,837 ABRAMS: We talked to people. 1606 01:22:04,920 --> 01:22:06,380 We met them at their doors. 1607 01:22:06,464 --> 01:22:08,466 We met them at their churches, their mosques, 1608 01:22:08,549 --> 01:22:10,760 their temples, their shrines, their synagogues. 1609 01:22:10,843 --> 01:22:14,555 I went to Dragon Con and ONE Musicfest. 1610 01:22:14,639 --> 01:22:16,849 I also talked about real issues. 1611 01:22:16,932 --> 01:22:18,851 I talked about my brother and his fight 1612 01:22:18,934 --> 01:22:20,895 with drug addiction and incarceration. 1613 01:22:20,978 --> 01:22:22,271 There are thousands of Walters 1614 01:22:22,355 --> 01:22:23,731 throughout the state of Georgia... 1615 01:22:23,814 --> 01:22:25,066 -CROWD: Yeah! -...who only get 1616 01:22:25,149 --> 01:22:26,942 the help they need when they go to prison. 1617 01:22:27,026 --> 01:22:28,527 -Yeah! -I’m running for governor 1618 01:22:28,611 --> 01:22:29,779 because I don’t believe Georgia’s 1619 01:22:29,862 --> 01:22:31,113 just a state of retribution. 1620 01:22:31,197 --> 01:22:33,074 I want to see a state of redemption! 1621 01:22:33,157 --> 01:22:34,575 CROWD: Yeah! 1622 01:22:34,659 --> 01:22:36,827 ABRAMS: Let’s get it done! 1623 01:22:36,911 --> 01:22:39,705 (chanting): Let’s get it done! Let’s get it done! 1624 01:22:39,789 --> 01:22:43,000 But I also had solutions, and I talked about the things 1625 01:22:43,084 --> 01:22:45,086 that people care about every single day. 1626 01:22:45,169 --> 01:22:47,421 Georgia, we need you to show up and show out. 1627 01:22:47,505 --> 01:22:48,631 (women speaking foreign languages) 1628 01:22:48,714 --> 01:22:52,093 -...Stacey Abrams... -...Stacey Abrams... 1629 01:22:52,176 --> 01:22:54,720 We wanted everybody who could vote to vote 1630 01:22:54,804 --> 01:22:55,888 and to vote for me. 1631 01:22:55,971 --> 01:22:56,972 (cheering) 1632 01:22:57,056 --> 01:23:00,434 LEWIS: It is in our hands 1633 01:23:00,518 --> 01:23:03,270 to make Stacey Abrams the next governor 1634 01:23:03,354 --> 01:23:05,606 of the state of Georgia! 1635 01:23:05,690 --> 01:23:08,984 And give it up for your next governor, 1636 01:23:09,068 --> 01:23:10,736 Stacey Abrams. 1637 01:23:10,820 --> 01:23:13,030 -(cheering) -CROWD: Stacey! Stacey! 1638 01:23:13,114 --> 01:23:16,909 Stacey! Stacey! Stacey! Stacey! 1639 01:23:16,992 --> 01:23:19,412 Thank you, Georgia. 1640 01:23:22,581 --> 01:23:25,084 One of our missions in our campaign 1641 01:23:25,167 --> 01:23:28,462 was to focus attention on early voting. 1642 01:23:28,546 --> 01:23:31,507 And so, by way of example, I went to vote early. 1643 01:23:31,590 --> 01:23:35,970 I came to my precinct armed with my I.D., 1644 01:23:36,053 --> 01:23:37,930 ready to cast my ballot. 1645 01:23:38,013 --> 01:23:40,266 I also had a bunch of television cameras with me 1646 01:23:40,349 --> 01:23:42,685 because we wanted to publicize how important this was. 1647 01:23:42,768 --> 01:23:44,103 (crowd cheering) 1648 01:23:44,186 --> 01:23:46,772 I hand my information over, and the young woman, 1649 01:23:46,856 --> 01:23:49,900 with great trepidation, tells me that I cannot vote 1650 01:23:49,984 --> 01:23:52,820 because I’ve applied for an absentee ballot. 1651 01:23:54,238 --> 01:23:57,533 And I lean in quietly, and I say, "No, I didn’t." 1652 01:23:57,616 --> 01:24:00,536 I’ve voted in the state of Georgia since 1992. 1653 01:24:00,619 --> 01:24:03,706 I’ve never applied for an absentee ballot. 1654 01:24:03,789 --> 01:24:06,417 She desperately wants to be helpful, 1655 01:24:06,500 --> 01:24:07,960 but something had happened, 1656 01:24:08,043 --> 01:24:09,587 and she did not have good information. 1657 01:24:09,670 --> 01:24:11,380 Her manager came over, we talked, 1658 01:24:11,464 --> 01:24:14,467 and we were able to figure out what needed to be done. 1659 01:24:14,550 --> 01:24:17,219 (indistinct chatter) 1660 01:24:19,096 --> 01:24:21,015 -(cheering) -What worries me 1661 01:24:21,098 --> 01:24:24,059 are the thousands of people in Georgia who tried to vote 1662 01:24:24,143 --> 01:24:29,106 that didn’t have CNN and MSNBC standing over their shoulders 1663 01:24:29,190 --> 01:24:32,193 who were told no and who believed that no was the answer 1664 01:24:32,276 --> 01:24:34,612 because they didn’t have the authority 1665 01:24:34,695 --> 01:24:36,989 or the knowledge to demand better. 1666 01:24:37,072 --> 01:24:39,325 We really knew by the last week of early vote 1667 01:24:39,408 --> 01:24:42,328 that we were seeing extraordinary turnout, 1668 01:24:42,411 --> 01:24:44,663 um, beyond our projections, 1669 01:24:44,747 --> 01:24:48,125 and we also knew that we were seeing an extraordinary 1670 01:24:48,209 --> 01:24:49,710 inability of the election system 1671 01:24:49,794 --> 01:24:51,629 to process the folks. 1672 01:24:51,712 --> 01:24:54,757 It was the very big warning bell that 1673 01:24:54,840 --> 01:24:57,384 Election Day was gonna be a problem. 1674 01:25:04,350 --> 01:25:05,768 (quiet chatter, laughter) 1675 01:25:05,851 --> 01:25:08,020 NEWSMAN: We were with Brian Kemp and his family 1676 01:25:08,103 --> 01:25:09,271 as they showed up to vote. 1677 01:25:09,355 --> 01:25:10,898 It said this was an invalid card. 1678 01:25:10,981 --> 01:25:13,317 -Okay. You go back in there. I’ll redo it for you. -Yeah. 1679 01:25:13,400 --> 01:25:15,402 NEWSMAN: And Kemp had some voting issues. 1680 01:25:15,486 --> 01:25:18,072 His voter card said "invalid." 1681 01:25:18,155 --> 01:25:20,366 (cameras clicking) 1682 01:25:20,449 --> 01:25:21,784 You just went and cast your ballot there. 1683 01:25:21,867 --> 01:25:23,452 -Yeah. -During your tenure as Secretary of State here, 1684 01:25:23,536 --> 01:25:24,662 you’ve made it harder for 1685 01:25:24,745 --> 01:25:26,038 tens of thousands of people in Georgia... 1686 01:25:26,121 --> 01:25:27,331 I would disagree with that question completely. 1687 01:25:27,414 --> 01:25:28,707 ...to cast their ballots across the state. 1688 01:25:28,791 --> 01:25:30,084 Because you have no factual basis 1689 01:25:30,167 --> 01:25:31,919 on making it harder for people to vote. 1690 01:25:32,002 --> 01:25:34,839 It has never been easier for people to vote in the... 1691 01:25:34,922 --> 01:25:36,924 in the state of Georgia than it is right now. 1692 01:25:37,007 --> 01:25:38,676 NEWSMAN: One of the races 1693 01:25:38,759 --> 01:25:40,386 that we’ve been watching really closely 1694 01:25:40,469 --> 01:25:44,390 is the governor’s race in the state of Georgia. 1695 01:25:44,473 --> 01:25:45,891 NEWSMAN: From Midtown to Marietta, 1696 01:25:45,975 --> 01:25:50,271 we’re seeing long lines at polling places across the area. 1697 01:25:50,354 --> 01:25:53,691 This morning, we got here at-- when the polls opened at 7:00. 1698 01:25:53,774 --> 01:25:56,735 We were told that the machines weren’t working. 1699 01:25:56,819 --> 01:26:00,948 Finally, at 11:00, they got machines that were working, 1700 01:26:01,031 --> 01:26:03,242 so we’ve been in line for five hours. 1701 01:26:03,325 --> 01:26:04,994 NEWSMAN: How long have you waited 1702 01:26:05,077 --> 01:26:07,454 -in line here this morning? -About three and a half hours. 1703 01:26:07,538 --> 01:26:09,331 -You gonna go home? Come back? -I’m-I’m hurting. 1704 01:26:09,415 --> 01:26:11,584 I-I’ll be back. I got to go take some medicine. 1705 01:26:11,667 --> 01:26:13,043 These lines are insane. 1706 01:26:13,127 --> 01:26:15,296 We had a big fucking problem. 1707 01:26:15,379 --> 01:26:17,798 Um, people are leaving lines all over. 1708 01:26:17,882 --> 01:26:19,133 I’m getting the reports. 1709 01:26:19,216 --> 01:26:21,594 WOMAN: My parents are U.S. citizens. 1710 01:26:21,677 --> 01:26:22,928 They’ve voted in the past, but today, 1711 01:26:23,012 --> 01:26:24,471 when they showed up to vote, they were told 1712 01:26:24,555 --> 01:26:26,181 that they were purged from the voter rolls. 1713 01:26:26,265 --> 01:26:28,767 ABRAMS: We’d received thousands of calls 1714 01:26:28,851 --> 01:26:30,769 to our Voter Protection Hotline. 1715 01:26:30,853 --> 01:26:32,104 Conversations about people 1716 01:26:32,187 --> 01:26:33,856 being turned away from the polls. 1717 01:26:33,939 --> 01:26:36,025 I can’t find this one. 1718 01:26:36,108 --> 01:26:38,027 -This is where you would normally vote? -Yes. 1719 01:26:38,110 --> 01:26:39,486 The name didn’t come up, in your case. 1720 01:26:39,570 --> 01:26:40,905 It didn’t come up even when I search. 1721 01:26:40,988 --> 01:26:44,116 Those stories were coming to me at every moment. 1722 01:26:44,199 --> 01:26:46,452 NEWSWOMAN: Some were here for three hours, 1723 01:26:46,535 --> 01:26:47,995 others here for much longer, 1724 01:26:48,078 --> 01:26:51,081 after the Express poll machines stopped working 1725 01:26:51,165 --> 01:26:54,376 inside the Annistown Elementary polling place Tuesday morning. 1726 01:26:54,460 --> 01:26:56,128 LAUREN GROH-WARGO: We knew who we were up against. 1727 01:26:56,211 --> 01:26:58,339 We had been fighting this guy for years. 1728 01:26:58,422 --> 01:27:01,800 And then to see what the result was of 1729 01:27:01,884 --> 01:27:03,969 intentional underfunding of elections, 1730 01:27:04,053 --> 01:27:07,222 intentional non-training of local elections officials. 1731 01:27:07,306 --> 01:27:08,432 NEWSWOMAN: He says he went 1732 01:27:08,515 --> 01:27:09,975 to cast his ballot Tuesday morning, 1733 01:27:10,059 --> 01:27:12,686 he handed the poll worker his I.D., and then she... 1734 01:27:12,770 --> 01:27:15,481 Says, "Mr. Whitten, wait. Stop. You’ve already voted." 1735 01:27:15,564 --> 01:27:16,982 I said, "No, I-I think I would’ve remembered that." 1736 01:27:17,066 --> 01:27:19,234 She says, "No, I see here that you voted, 1737 01:27:19,318 --> 01:27:21,195 and, uh, it looks like several days ago." 1738 01:27:21,278 --> 01:27:24,698 Intentional purges, intentional precinct consolidation. 1739 01:27:24,782 --> 01:27:28,077 They combined two locations, gave us three machines. 1740 01:27:28,160 --> 01:27:30,788 Last election, I had 12. I don’t know why. 1741 01:27:30,871 --> 01:27:31,997 Intentional lack of training 1742 01:27:32,081 --> 01:27:33,666 around absentee and provisional ballots. 1743 01:27:33,749 --> 01:27:36,335 All the compendium coming together. 1744 01:27:36,418 --> 01:27:38,963 MAN: Students were showing up, and their names were not 1745 01:27:39,046 --> 01:27:40,339 on the actual roll. 1746 01:27:40,422 --> 01:27:42,466 Um, and so they were casting provisional ballots, 1747 01:27:42,549 --> 01:27:45,803 so much so that they actually ran out of provisional ballots. 1748 01:27:45,886 --> 01:27:49,223 GROH-WARGO: It was just out of control. 1749 01:27:49,306 --> 01:27:53,519 ABRAMS: We knew people were trying to be heard, 1750 01:27:53,602 --> 01:27:56,689 but I also knew they weren’t being listened to. 1751 01:27:56,772 --> 01:27:59,024 ♪ ♪ 1752 01:28:01,944 --> 01:28:04,029 Election night... 1753 01:28:04,113 --> 01:28:08,033 I knew something had gone horribly wrong. 1754 01:28:09,827 --> 01:28:11,620 NEWSMAN: Take a look at where the numbers stand right now. 1755 01:28:11,704 --> 01:28:13,706 As you can see, the numbers are now tightening. 1756 01:28:13,789 --> 01:28:15,207 The spread is only some 60,000. 1757 01:28:15,290 --> 01:28:17,084 NEWSWOMAN: Several counties have yet to process 1758 01:28:17,167 --> 01:28:19,253 their provisional and emergency ballots, 1759 01:28:19,336 --> 01:28:23,215 leaving an estimated 22,000 ballots outstanding. 1760 01:28:25,551 --> 01:28:28,429 ABRAMS: By 1:00 a.m., what we knew 1761 01:28:28,512 --> 01:28:31,765 was that the race was too close to call. 1762 01:28:31,849 --> 01:28:33,350 (crowd cheering) 1763 01:28:33,434 --> 01:28:36,687 I’m here tonight to tell you votes remain to be counted. 1764 01:28:36,770 --> 01:28:39,523 There are voices that were waiting to be heard. 1765 01:28:39,606 --> 01:28:42,151 Across our state, folks are opening up 1766 01:28:42,234 --> 01:28:45,029 the dreams of voters in absentee ballots, 1767 01:28:45,112 --> 01:28:47,573 and we believe our chance for a stronger Georgia 1768 01:28:47,656 --> 01:28:49,408 is just within reach. 1769 01:28:49,491 --> 01:28:50,784 (cheering, murmuring) 1770 01:28:50,868 --> 01:28:55,664 But we cannot seize it until all voices are heard. 1771 01:28:55,748 --> 01:28:57,958 And I promise you tonight, we are gonna make sure 1772 01:28:58,042 --> 01:29:00,836 -that every vote is counted. -(cheering) 1773 01:29:00,919 --> 01:29:02,838 Every single vote. 1774 01:29:02,921 --> 01:29:05,716 ♪ ♪ 1775 01:29:05,799 --> 01:29:07,259 ALLEGRA LAWRENCE-HARDY: We’ve heard from 1776 01:29:07,342 --> 01:29:09,970 40,000 Georgians and counting 1777 01:29:10,054 --> 01:29:12,389 who have told us story after story 1778 01:29:12,473 --> 01:29:14,933 about the concerns and problems they have, 1779 01:29:15,017 --> 01:29:17,269 uh, with our system across Georgia. 1780 01:29:17,352 --> 01:29:19,104 GROH-WARGO: Our staff was, 1781 01:29:19,188 --> 01:29:20,731 you know, running around the state 1782 01:29:20,814 --> 01:29:22,816 and collecting all of these stories, 1783 01:29:22,900 --> 01:29:24,860 and we’re in the federal courts 1784 01:29:24,943 --> 01:29:26,779 fighting for each of these votes. 1785 01:29:26,862 --> 01:29:29,114 ABRAMS: Every day, there were votes that were found, 1786 01:29:29,198 --> 01:29:31,158 and there were lawsuits that were settled 1787 01:29:31,241 --> 01:29:33,077 that then added to the total. 1788 01:29:33,160 --> 01:29:37,164 GROH-WARGO: And it was just a devastating, 1789 01:29:37,247 --> 01:29:40,584 obvious thing what happened. 1790 01:29:40,667 --> 01:29:42,753 You couldn’t swing a bat 1791 01:29:42,836 --> 01:29:46,090 and not hit 14 people who had problems voting. 1792 01:29:46,173 --> 01:29:47,424 NEWSMAN: Governor Nathan Deal rolled out 1793 01:29:47,508 --> 01:29:49,843 the gubernatorial red carpet Thursday for Brian Kemp, 1794 01:29:49,927 --> 01:29:51,929 declaring him governor-elect, though the state 1795 01:29:52,012 --> 01:29:53,597 has yet officially to certify the election. 1796 01:29:53,680 --> 01:29:57,101 Even if she got 100% of those votes, 1797 01:29:57,184 --> 01:30:02,356 we still win with, um, a 50%-plus-one-vote majority. 1798 01:30:02,439 --> 01:30:04,316 Actually, it’s much more than that. 1799 01:30:04,399 --> 01:30:06,735 Uh, so we’re moving forward with the transition. 1800 01:30:06,819 --> 01:30:09,863 Brian Kemp is 1801 01:30:09,947 --> 01:30:16,161 25,622 votes 1802 01:30:16,245 --> 01:30:20,999 above the threshold for a runoff election. 1803 01:30:22,626 --> 01:30:25,629 25,000 votes 1804 01:30:25,712 --> 01:30:29,007 of nearly four million cast 1805 01:30:29,091 --> 01:30:32,594 are at issue in this race. 1806 01:30:32,678 --> 01:30:35,013 By his own admission, 1807 01:30:35,097 --> 01:30:38,350 there are at least 25,000 outstanding votes 1808 01:30:38,433 --> 01:30:41,478 and hundreds, if not thousands, of more 1809 01:30:41,562 --> 01:30:45,816 that we are learning about and discovering every day. 1810 01:30:45,899 --> 01:30:48,777 Georgians deserve to have their votes counted. 1811 01:30:48,861 --> 01:30:51,530 NEWSMAN: And some Abrams supporters protested peacefully 1812 01:30:51,613 --> 01:30:53,615 outside the governor’s office during Kemp’s news conference, 1813 01:30:53,699 --> 01:30:54,992 believing there are enough 1814 01:30:55,075 --> 01:30:57,703 uncounted votes to force a runoff. 1815 01:30:57,786 --> 01:30:59,413 They’re arresting me because I refused 1816 01:30:59,496 --> 01:31:01,415 to leave the rotunda of the capitol... 1817 01:31:01,498 --> 01:31:03,125 NIKEMA WILLIAMS: Well, I was taken out 1818 01:31:03,208 --> 01:31:04,877 in handcuffs and jailed 1819 01:31:04,960 --> 01:31:06,962 because I stood with my constituents 1820 01:31:07,045 --> 01:31:08,922 to voice their concerns 1821 01:31:09,006 --> 01:31:11,258 and make sure that every vote is counted. 1822 01:31:15,095 --> 01:31:19,808 By the end, we were still 17,000 votes shy of the runoff. 1823 01:31:19,892 --> 01:31:21,351 NEWSWOMAN: The ballot battle 1824 01:31:21,435 --> 01:31:23,979 in Georgia’s governor’s race is over. 1825 01:31:24,062 --> 01:31:27,149 NEWSMAN: Brian Kemp will be certified the winner. 1826 01:31:27,232 --> 01:31:29,484 (crowd cheering) 1827 01:31:30,986 --> 01:31:32,487 I was very angry. 1828 01:31:32,571 --> 01:31:34,656 I’m still very angry. 1829 01:31:34,740 --> 01:31:36,241 Um... 1830 01:31:38,243 --> 01:31:40,495 ...very angry. 1831 01:31:40,579 --> 01:31:42,372 Make no mistake. 1832 01:31:42,456 --> 01:31:44,374 The former Secretary of State 1833 01:31:44,458 --> 01:31:47,586 was deliberate and intentional in his actions. 1834 01:31:47,669 --> 01:31:50,756 Pundits and hyper-partisans will hear my words 1835 01:31:50,839 --> 01:31:52,883 as a rejection of the normal order. 1836 01:31:52,966 --> 01:31:56,428 You see, I’m supposed to say nice things and accept my fate. 1837 01:31:56,511 --> 01:31:59,139 They will complain that I should not use this moment 1838 01:31:59,223 --> 01:32:02,935 to recap what was done wrong or to demand a remedy. 1839 01:32:03,018 --> 01:32:06,438 You see, as a leader, I should be stoic in my outrage 1840 01:32:06,521 --> 01:32:08,941 and silent in my rebuke. 1841 01:32:09,024 --> 01:32:11,151 But stoicism is a luxury, 1842 01:32:11,235 --> 01:32:12,986 and silence is a weapon 1843 01:32:13,070 --> 01:32:15,572 for those who would quiet the voices of the people. 1844 01:32:15,656 --> 01:32:17,074 And I will not concede, 1845 01:32:17,157 --> 01:32:20,285 because the erosion of our democracy is not right. 1846 01:32:20,369 --> 01:32:21,870 (crowd cheering) 1847 01:32:21,954 --> 01:32:23,789 KEMP: Last night, as you all know, 1848 01:32:23,872 --> 01:32:26,083 my opponent ended her campaign. 1849 01:32:26,166 --> 01:32:27,584 The election is over, 1850 01:32:27,668 --> 01:32:30,963 and I’m honored to be Georgia’s governor-elect. 1851 01:32:44,268 --> 01:32:46,353 My responsibility as the daughter 1852 01:32:46,436 --> 01:32:48,939 of Robert and Carolyn Abrams, 1853 01:32:49,022 --> 01:32:51,566 as the granddaughter of people 1854 01:32:51,650 --> 01:32:53,568 who had been denied the right to vote, 1855 01:32:53,652 --> 01:32:56,446 as the great-great- granddaughter of slaves, 1856 01:32:56,530 --> 01:32:59,199 my job was to use this election 1857 01:32:59,283 --> 01:33:02,035 to talk about the system that let this be. 1858 01:33:03,036 --> 01:33:05,414 And so, we decided on that night 1859 01:33:05,497 --> 01:33:07,833 that we were going to demand 1860 01:33:07,916 --> 01:33:10,252 that the system itself be fixed. 1861 01:33:10,335 --> 01:33:12,629 Because, when you concede, what you’re saying 1862 01:33:12,713 --> 01:33:15,507 is that the system worked the way it was supposed to. 1863 01:33:15,590 --> 01:33:17,968 And I refuse to believe that a system 1864 01:33:18,051 --> 01:33:20,470 that is supposed to protect our democracy 1865 01:33:20,554 --> 01:33:23,307 worked the way it was supposed to. 1866 01:33:23,390 --> 01:33:25,642 ♪ ♪ 1867 01:33:29,187 --> 01:33:30,897 In 2020 and beyond, 1868 01:33:30,981 --> 01:33:32,357 the way we fight voter suppression 1869 01:33:32,441 --> 01:33:34,026 is by meeting it where it is. 1870 01:33:34,109 --> 01:33:35,569 That means, first and foremost, 1871 01:33:35,652 --> 01:33:37,904 volunteer to help people get registered to vote. 1872 01:33:37,988 --> 01:33:40,198 Hi, Nina, darling. My name is Stacey Abrams. 1873 01:33:40,282 --> 01:33:42,993 I wanted to thank you for all the work you’re doing 1874 01:33:43,076 --> 01:33:44,119 to reach out to voters 1875 01:33:44,202 --> 01:33:45,912 and making sure they stay on the rolls. 1876 01:33:45,996 --> 01:33:48,623 ANDERSON: If you believe in "one person, one vote," 1877 01:33:48,707 --> 01:33:50,917 if you believe in representative government, 1878 01:33:51,001 --> 01:33:53,337 then you will fight for this democracy. 1879 01:33:53,420 --> 01:33:55,047 So, if you, um, fill it out right now, 1880 01:33:55,130 --> 01:33:57,215 -we can mail it out for you. -(indistinct chatter) 1881 01:33:57,299 --> 01:33:59,384 MEADE: Our power is in our vote. 1882 01:33:59,468 --> 01:34:02,220 Our power is in our voice. 1883 01:34:02,304 --> 01:34:04,931 And if we willingly choose to remain silent, 1884 01:34:05,015 --> 01:34:06,850 we give up that power. 1885 01:34:06,933 --> 01:34:08,185 WOMAN: The day that we celebrate 1886 01:34:08,268 --> 01:34:09,978 what it means to be an American. 1887 01:34:10,062 --> 01:34:11,229 Today, our returning citizens 1888 01:34:11,313 --> 01:34:13,940 have their right to vote restored. 1889 01:34:14,024 --> 01:34:15,359 (cheering and applause) 1890 01:34:15,442 --> 01:34:18,111 SEAN J. YOUNG: Plan out what you’re going to do 1891 01:34:18,195 --> 01:34:20,030 to make sure your ballot is cast and counted, 1892 01:34:20,113 --> 01:34:22,074 and then ask your friends and family 1893 01:34:22,157 --> 01:34:23,617 whether they have a plan. 1894 01:34:23,700 --> 01:34:25,243 Even if you’ve done everything right, 1895 01:34:25,327 --> 01:34:26,787 do not assume you’re registered. 1896 01:34:26,870 --> 01:34:29,623 Check to make sure that you haven’t been purged 1897 01:34:29,706 --> 01:34:31,666 or that your polling place has moved. 1898 01:34:31,750 --> 01:34:33,168 Vote as early as possible. 1899 01:34:33,251 --> 01:34:35,170 Take your friends with you to the polls. 1900 01:34:35,253 --> 01:34:37,047 Talk to your neighbors about voting. 1901 01:34:37,130 --> 01:34:38,590 Call your parents and ask them if they’ve voted. 1902 01:34:38,673 --> 01:34:40,050 Call your grandparents. 1903 01:34:40,133 --> 01:34:42,928 And make sure that people know what precinct they’re in, 1904 01:34:43,011 --> 01:34:44,554 where their polling location is. 1905 01:34:44,638 --> 01:34:46,807 And then you turn up at the polls, 1906 01:34:46,890 --> 01:34:49,476 and you don’t leave until you cast your ballot. 1907 01:34:49,559 --> 01:34:51,645 They told voters to anticipate long lines. 1908 01:34:51,728 --> 01:34:54,106 Is two and a half hours, three hours, four hours-- 1909 01:34:54,189 --> 01:34:56,191 is that reasonable, though, in your mind, David? 1910 01:34:56,274 --> 01:34:58,026 It’s worth the wait. It’s worth the wait. 1911 01:34:58,110 --> 01:35:00,278 Folks died for this right that-- I mean, you know, 1912 01:35:00,362 --> 01:35:02,364 so I would never take advantage of it, you know, so... 1913 01:35:02,447 --> 01:35:03,448 I’m here for the long haul. 1914 01:35:03,532 --> 01:35:05,367 It’s a life-and-death matter. 1915 01:35:05,450 --> 01:35:07,119 It really is. 1916 01:35:07,202 --> 01:35:08,745 It’s not gonna be the courts that save us. 1917 01:35:08,829 --> 01:35:10,622 It’s not gonna be the justices in their robes. 1918 01:35:10,705 --> 01:35:11,748 It’s got to be the people. 1919 01:35:11,832 --> 01:35:13,625 FUDGE: If you were to come out to vote, 1920 01:35:13,708 --> 01:35:15,460 we could elect who we wanted to, 1921 01:35:15,544 --> 01:35:17,462 we could get done what we wanted to, 1922 01:35:17,546 --> 01:35:19,756 and we could make sure that our voice was heard. 1923 01:35:19,840 --> 01:35:21,341 The fight for voting rights 1924 01:35:21,425 --> 01:35:24,469 needs to be a defining civil rights issue today. 1925 01:35:24,553 --> 01:35:26,763 HOLDER: The desire to keep certain people 1926 01:35:26,847 --> 01:35:28,098 away from the polls, 1927 01:35:28,181 --> 01:35:31,059 it’s a reality that we have to be prepared to confront. 1928 01:35:31,143 --> 01:35:33,228 But unless we confront that reality 1929 01:35:33,311 --> 01:35:35,439 and base actions on that reality, 1930 01:35:35,522 --> 01:35:36,690 we won’t make the progress 1931 01:35:36,773 --> 01:35:39,609 that we all want to make in this country. 1932 01:35:39,693 --> 01:35:41,486 (indistinct chanting) 1933 01:35:41,570 --> 01:35:42,946 I believe in our democracy. 1934 01:35:43,029 --> 01:35:44,489 I believe in our nation. 1935 01:35:44,573 --> 01:35:46,074 And I think our strongest patriotism 1936 01:35:46,158 --> 01:35:48,994 is a patriotism that says that every voice matters 1937 01:35:49,077 --> 01:35:50,620 and that every vote counts 1938 01:35:50,704 --> 01:35:53,498 and that we will do everything in our power to make it so. 1939 01:35:53,582 --> 01:35:55,792 ♪ ♪ 1940 01:35:57,169 --> 01:35:59,379 Let’s stop thinking that our voice don’t matter... 1941 01:35:59,463 --> 01:36:01,006 -That’s right. -...and vote! 1942 01:36:01,089 --> 01:36:04,885 Educate yourself and know who you’re voting for. 1943 01:36:06,470 --> 01:36:09,264 Because it’s a lot of us. 1944 01:36:09,347 --> 01:36:12,142 -It’s a lot of us. -That’s right. 1945 01:36:12,225 --> 01:36:13,643 It’s a lot of us! 1946 01:36:13,727 --> 01:36:15,395 CROWD: It’s a lot of us! 1947 01:36:21,568 --> 01:36:23,653 ♪ ♪ 1948 01:37:06,613 --> 01:37:08,490 ♪ ♪ 1949 01:37:32,806 --> 01:37:34,307 ♪ The table ’bout to turn ♪ 1950 01:37:34,391 --> 01:37:37,060 ("Turn Tables" by Janelle Monáe playing) 1951 01:37:38,979 --> 01:37:40,814 ♪ The table ’bout to turn ♪ 1952 01:37:45,652 --> 01:37:47,070 Register to vote. 1953 01:37:47,153 --> 01:37:48,989 Even if you think you’re already registered, 1954 01:37:49,072 --> 01:37:50,699 check your registration status. 1955 01:37:50,782 --> 01:37:53,910 Seriously, check to see if you’re registered to vote 1956 01:37:53,994 --> 01:37:56,454 at AllInTheFilm.com. 1957 01:37:56,538 --> 01:37:58,665 Don’t be a victim of voter purge. 1958 01:37:58,748 --> 01:38:02,586 If you’re registered, make sure the information is correct. 1959 01:38:02,669 --> 01:38:04,629 If not, update it. 1960 01:38:04,713 --> 01:38:06,923 ♪ The table ’bout to turn ♪ 1961 01:38:09,301 --> 01:38:12,137 Oh, and make sure to keep your receipts. 1962 01:38:12,220 --> 01:38:13,471 Take a screenshot 1963 01:38:13,555 --> 01:38:16,474 so that no one can deny your registration. 1964 01:38:16,558 --> 01:38:18,184 Get informed. 1965 01:38:18,268 --> 01:38:20,979 Find out what documents or I.D. 1966 01:38:21,062 --> 01:38:23,481 are required for you to vote in your state 1967 01:38:23,565 --> 01:38:26,359 so that you will have time to prepare to vote. 1968 01:38:26,443 --> 01:38:27,694 Make a plan. 1969 01:38:27,777 --> 01:38:30,989 Look up your polling place and the time it’s open 1970 01:38:31,072 --> 01:38:32,657 and how you’re getting there 1971 01:38:32,741 --> 01:38:36,411 and what you can do to stay safe if you’re casting 1972 01:38:36,494 --> 01:38:40,206 your socially distanced vote in person. 1973 01:38:40,290 --> 01:38:42,959 Some states allow any voter to vote absentee. 1974 01:38:43,043 --> 01:38:45,378 Other states have stricter requirements. 1975 01:38:45,462 --> 01:38:48,048 Head to AllInTheFilm.com to find out 1976 01:38:48,131 --> 01:38:51,092 details about your state and how to request a ballot. 1977 01:38:51,176 --> 01:38:55,096 Go to 2020Census.gov and complete your census form. 1978 01:38:55,180 --> 01:38:57,474 Ensure that your community is counted 1979 01:38:57,557 --> 01:38:59,392 and help combat gerrymandering. 1980 01:38:59,476 --> 01:39:03,521 And most importantly, know your rights. 1981 01:39:03,605 --> 01:39:06,024 If the polls close and you’re in the line, man, 1982 01:39:06,107 --> 01:39:09,319 stay in the line because you got the right to vote. 1983 01:39:09,402 --> 01:39:11,780 If you make a mistake on your ballot, ask for a new one. 1984 01:39:11,863 --> 01:39:14,032 If the machines are down at your polling place, 1985 01:39:14,115 --> 01:39:15,533 ask for a paper ballot. 1986 01:39:15,617 --> 01:39:17,661 If they can’t find your name on the voter rolls, 1987 01:39:17,744 --> 01:39:19,371 then ask for a provisional ballot. 1988 01:39:19,454 --> 01:39:21,164 And if you run into any problems 1989 01:39:21,247 --> 01:39:23,667 or have any questions on Election Day, 1990 01:39:23,750 --> 01:39:26,336 call the Election Protection Hotline: 1991 01:39:26,419 --> 01:39:28,713 866-OUR-VOTE. 1992 01:39:28,797 --> 01:39:30,674 -Think you got all that? -Are you all in? 1993 01:39:30,757 --> 01:39:32,092 Perfect. Now... 1994 01:39:32,175 --> 01:39:33,927 Go and tell literally everyone... 1995 01:39:34,010 --> 01:39:35,261 -Everyone. -Everyone. 1996 01:39:35,345 --> 01:39:36,846 Everyone you know. 1997 01:39:36,930 --> 01:39:39,766 Literally everyone you know. 1998 01:39:39,849 --> 01:39:40,850 ♪ ♪ 1999 01:39:40,934 --> 01:39:42,560 ♪ Yeah, uh ♪ 2000 01:39:42,644 --> 01:39:45,730 ♪ I been flipping through my timeline ♪ 2001 01:39:45,814 --> 01:39:48,650 ♪ Trying to get my mind right ♪ 2002 01:39:48,733 --> 01:39:50,527 ♪ My city cried out ♪ 2003 01:39:50,610 --> 01:39:53,697 ♪ I got to cool down, but I’m under pressure ♪ 2004 01:39:53,780 --> 01:39:56,324 ♪ Cooking with my Crisco ♪ 2005 01:39:56,408 --> 01:39:58,451 ♪ Look at where my fist go ♪ 2006 01:39:58,535 --> 01:40:01,121 ♪ A renegade when I’m in a rage ♪ 2007 01:40:01,204 --> 01:40:03,915 ♪ I got to cool down, but I’m under pressure ♪ 2008 01:40:03,998 --> 01:40:06,626 ♪ I keep my hands dirty, my mind clean ♪ 2009 01:40:06,710 --> 01:40:10,130 ♪ Got a new agenda with a new dream, uh ♪ 2010 01:40:10,213 --> 01:40:11,965 ♪ I’m kicking out the old regime ♪ 2011 01:40:12,048 --> 01:40:15,009 ♪ Liberation, elevation, education ♪ 2012 01:40:15,093 --> 01:40:17,345 ♪ America, you a lie ♪ 2013 01:40:17,429 --> 01:40:19,806 ♪ But the whole world ’bout to testify ♪ 2014 01:40:19,889 --> 01:40:22,517 ♪ I said the whole world ’bout to touch the fire ♪ 2015 01:40:22,600 --> 01:40:25,562 ♪ And the tables ’bout to, t-t-tables ’bout to ♪ 2016 01:40:25,645 --> 01:40:29,190 -♪ Turn, turn, turn ♪ -♪ Turn, turn, turn ♪ 2017 01:40:29,274 --> 01:40:30,900 ♪ Ain’t gon’ stop until they ♪ 2018 01:40:30,984 --> 01:40:34,487 -♪ Turn, turn, turn ♪ -♪ Turn, turn, turn ♪ 2019 01:40:34,571 --> 01:40:36,197 ♪ Now it’s time for it to ♪ 2020 01:40:36,281 --> 01:40:39,784 -♪ Turn, turn, turn ♪ -♪ Turn, turn, turn ♪ 2021 01:40:39,868 --> 01:40:41,536 ♪ We can’t wait for it to ♪ 2022 01:40:41,619 --> 01:40:44,456 -♪ Turn, turn ♪ -♪ Yeah, the table ’bout to turn ♪ 2023 01:40:44,539 --> 01:40:46,624 ♪ Turn ♪ 2024 01:40:46,708 --> 01:40:49,085 ♪ It’s a boomerang booming back, yeah ♪ 2025 01:40:49,169 --> 01:40:51,713 ♪ You laid a egg, now it’s ’bout to hatch, yeah ♪ 2026 01:40:51,796 --> 01:40:54,591 ♪ You’re gaslighting, ’bout to meet your match, uh ♪ 2027 01:40:54,674 --> 01:40:57,719 ♪ You fuck up the kitchen, then you should do the dishes ♪ 2028 01:40:57,802 --> 01:40:59,888 ♪ Burning down plantations, uh ♪ 2029 01:40:59,971 --> 01:41:02,432 ♪ Ain’t no park and I don’t need no validation ♪ 2030 01:41:02,515 --> 01:41:05,226 ♪ I light sage when I’m in a rage, uh ♪ 2031 01:41:05,310 --> 01:41:08,313 ♪ I don’t need permission, I got my intuition ♪ 2032 01:41:08,396 --> 01:41:10,857 ♪ Hands dirty, mind clean ♪ 2033 01:41:10,940 --> 01:41:14,110 ♪ A different vision with a new dream, uh ♪ 2034 01:41:14,194 --> 01:41:15,987 ♪ We kicking out the old regime ♪ 2035 01:41:16,070 --> 01:41:18,490 ♪ Liberation, elevation, education ♪ 2036 01:41:18,573 --> 01:41:21,326 ♪ I said, America, you’s a lie ♪ 2037 01:41:21,409 --> 01:41:23,787 ♪ But the whole world ’bout to testify ♪ 2038 01:41:23,870 --> 01:41:26,498 ♪ I said the whole world ’bout to testify ♪ 2039 01:41:26,581 --> 01:41:29,417 ♪ We gon’ watch the table, now we gon’ watch the table ♪ 2040 01:41:29,501 --> 01:41:30,960 -♪ T-Turn ♪ -♪ Turn ♪ 2041 01:41:31,044 --> 01:41:33,546 -♪ Turn, turn ♪ -♪ Turn, turn ♪ 2042 01:41:33,630 --> 01:41:35,089 ♪ That’s right ♪ 2043 01:41:35,173 --> 01:41:38,009 -♪ Turn, turn, turn ♪ -♪ Turn, turn, turn ♪ 2044 01:41:38,092 --> 01:41:40,178 ♪ We waited too long, you gotta ♪ 2045 01:41:40,261 --> 01:41:43,848 -♪ Turn, just turn, turn ♪ -♪ Turn, turn, turn ♪ 2046 01:41:43,932 --> 01:41:45,642 ♪ We see it all now ♪ 2047 01:41:45,725 --> 01:41:48,186 -♪ Turn, turn ♪ -♪ Turn, said the table got to turn ♪ 2048 01:41:48,269 --> 01:41:50,980 -♪ Turn, tables, turn ♪ -(whoops) ♪ Yeah ♪ 2049 01:41:51,064 --> 01:41:53,525 ♪ Turn, tables, turn ♪ 2050 01:41:53,608 --> 01:41:58,988 ♪ Turn, tables, turn, turn, tables, turn ♪ 2051 01:41:59,072 --> 01:42:01,616 ♪ Turn, tables, turn ♪ 2052 01:42:01,699 --> 01:42:07,038 ♪ Turn, tables, turn, turn, tables, turn ♪ 2053 01:42:07,121 --> 01:42:09,833 ♪ Turn, tables, turn ♪ 2054 01:42:09,916 --> 01:42:11,584 ♪ Turn. ♪ 2055 01:42:11,668 --> 01:42:13,753 (song ends)