Freeing the Vote!
Join us for a talk with Civil Rights Movement Veteran Bruce Hartford and ACLU NorCal Leadership Development Manager Tessa D'arcangelew

Thursday, May 23^rd

7-8:30pm

Burlingame Main Library

Lane Community Room

"The Fight for Voting Rights in America, Yesterday and Today"
Bruce Hartford will give an overview of the historical context and present day efforts to restrict and deny the right to vote.

Bruce Hartford was a civil rights worker during the early and mid-1960s with the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and then on the field staff of Dr. King's organization the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). He was active in the Selma Voting Rights Campaign and on the March to Montgomery, for which he and many others were awarded the "Foot Soldiers for Justice" Congressional Medal of Honor. He is author of, The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (2012), The Selma Voting Rights Struggle & the March to Montgomery (2014), Voting Rights in America -- Two Centuries of Struggle (2018), and Troublemaker' Memories of the Freedom Movement (forthcoming). Books will be available for sale at the event.

"Free the Vote, California!"
When it comes to voting reforms, California is often on the offense rather than the defense. Over the past several years, state lawmakers have passed a number of reforms to increase access to the ballot box. However, those reforms often leave the most marginalized people out. Our democracy is rooted in the idea that everyone’s voice matters. But right now, nearly 50,000 Californians on parole are unable to vote in local, state, or federal elections.

Tessa D'arcangelew provides support and connects chapters and grassroots activists to resources within the organization as they pursue local advocacy, community education, and participate in state and federal campaigns.

This is part of our Book to Action program, supported in part by the California Center for the Book