ALBC Town Hall – Washington, DC
Race, Freedom and Equality of Opportunity: The Right to Vote
March 19, 2009
Historical Society of Washington, DC
801 K St. NW
Washington, DC 20001
Hosted by the Historical Society of Washington, DC, the ALBC’s third national Town Hall focused on Race, Freedom & Equality of Opportunity: The Right to Vote.
The distinguished panel explored the history of voting and voting rights in the U.S.; the struggle for voting rights waged by various groups of Americans; the cultural importance of casting a ballot as civic participation and empowerment; and how the District’s voting limbo is part of that history.
A wide-range of panelists joined us for the discussion, including:
Wade Henderson, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
Donita Judge, Attorney, Advancement Project
Alexander Keyssar, Social Policy Professor, Harvard and author, “The Right to Vote”
Jonathan Turley, Renowned Constitutional Law Scholar, George Washington University Law School
Kenneth Thomas, Legislative Attorney, Congressional Research Service
Armstrong Williams, Syndicated Radio Host and Columnist
Ron Walters, Leadership & Politics Expert, University of Maryland, College Park and author, “Freedom Is Not Enough”
The town hall also featured special presenters:
Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., (D-IL), ALBC Commissioner, Town Hall Co-convener
Edna Greene Medford, Associate Professor of History Howard University, co-author “Price of Freedom”
And live music from:
Rasi Caprice, A DC bred musician who mixes pop, rock, r&b, soul and hip hop, Rasi Caprice has been featured in the Washington Post, and recognized by the Independent Music Awards and The Musician’s Atlas Guide. His most recent album release, Taxation Without Representation,” won the IMA VOX Populi vote as Independent Album of 2008.
Joe L Da Vessel, One of the most influential artists in the DC area, Joe L Da Vessel fuses elements of gospel and popular music. A successful secular artist in 2000, he now focuses on spiritual themes and messages and performs regularly to youth detention groups and various venues throughout the DC area.
Chinwe Enu, Soprano
Askia Mohammad, news director of WPFW-FM Radio 89.3 and National Newspapers Publishers Association (NNPA) Syndicated Columnist, moderated the discussion.
The ALBC Town Hall Series is made possible with support from the Fetzer Institute.
DC Town Hall Co-Conveners
The ALBC would like to thank the following co-conveners for their support in making the Washington, DC town hall a success.
- Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH)
- DC Historical Society
- DC Vote
- District of Columbia Office of Public Records
- Free DC/Stand Up for Democracy Coalition
- WPFW-FM