Past Event

The Future of the Voting Rights Act: Does Race Matter?

With its ruling last month, the Supreme Court struck down a key provision of hte Voting Rights Act of 1965. Justices who voted for this ruling say that racial dsicrimination in the U.S. is no longer sufficient to justify ‘extraordinary measures.’ Does race still matter at the polls and in our every day lives? Join us for this intimate conversation at hte AFRICOBRA exhibit at Logan Center Gallery and a pre-discussion guided tour by curator Rebecca Zorach.

Mia Henry, Owner-Operator of Freedom Lifted, will be participating in this discussion.

From “The Voting Rights Act: Hard-Won Gains, An Uncertain Future” 

“‘When the Supreme Court made the decision, I almost cried. I almost shed some tears,” he [Rep. John Lewis of Georgia] says. ‘I kept saying to myself, I wish somehow the members of the Supreme Court — especially the five that voted to put a dagger in the heart and soul of the Voting Rights Act — could walk in our shoes.’ But in his opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts suggested it is a new era. ‘Our country has changed,’ he wrote for the majority.”

Questions for Consideration 

How concerned are you about voting rights violations? How far have we come in achieving a color-blind society since the Voting Rights Act was passed? In what ways does racial discrimination still exist in voting and in every day life? Why do we or don’t we need the Voting Rights Act today? How has media coverage helped your understanding of the future of the Voting Rights Act? What’s missing from the coverage?

Want to learn more?

Free and open to the public. For more information please call 312.422.5580. Please visit africobra.uchicago.edu to learn more about the exhibitions.

If you need a sign interpreter or require other arrangements to fully participate, please call 312.422.5580. For parking locations near the facility, please visit ChicagoParkingMap.com.