LaTosha Brown presents on voting rights activism

| Staff Writer

Latosha Brown speaks passionately on voting rights in Holmes Lounge. (Alan Zhou | Student Life)

LaTosha Brown, civil rights activist and political consultant, spoke at the Gephardt Institute for Civic Engagement about empowering African American and minority voters and encouraging political involvement, Wednesday, March 31. Brown is the co-founder of the voting rights group Black Voters Matter, which was involved in the contentious 2020–2021 Georgia special election. 

Brown discussed the importance of voting and political engagement in the wider context of contemporary issues that many Americans face. She emphasized that for change to occur, people need to take a more active role in politics.

Brown began her talk at the Gephardt Institute in Holmes Lounge, with a song from the Civil Rights Movement. 

“Well the first thing I did right

Was the day I started to fight

Keep your eyes on the prize

And hold on… hold on…

Well the last thing I did wrong

I stayed in the wilderness way too long

Keep your eyes on the prize

And hold on… hold on…

Amen.”

“Keep Your Eyes on the Prize” was originally a gospel song in the postbellum South. The song evolved with civil rights in the 20th century, from calls to desegregate schools to the equal voting rights movement. 

Brown used the song as a bridge to introduce the power of voting to the audience.

“I want you to close your eyes and ask you two questions,” Brown said. “What would America look like without racism? What would this nation look like if all human beings felt valued and respected in government?”

Brown used this exercise to emphasize the importance of voting and the protections around it. She said the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed within the lifetime of many Americans who experienced widespread voter suppression, particularly minorities in the South.

Brown continued her talk by discussing wider conversations of racism and prejudice. 

“Here we can imagine a man on the moon or a billionaire taking a joyride in space, but we can’t even imagine a nation without racism?” Brown said.

Brown referenced 1960s civil rights activists protesting the space program at a time of widespread racism and prejudice. Beyond the conversation about racism in modern day America, Brown moved to speaking about class struggles faced by working class Americans. 

“That’s not just affecting Black people or Asian or Latino brothers and sisters,” Brown said. “There are a few people at the top that got all of us at the bottom fighting because somebody [referring to immigration issues] came across the border.” 

Brown said that she sees a deeper issue threatening voting rights and that mobilizing consciencessness among Black and other minority Americans and fighting off contemporary voter suppression attempts is about more than just encouraging civic participation.

“The foundation of what I think is voting suppression in this country really is, is from this whole idea that there are some people that are less than others,” Brown said.

Brown spoke to the audience, which was mostly WashU undergraduates, about the importance of breaking down systemic barriers and creating change. She said young people, and college students in particular, with the power of community, invoke real change.

She also spoke about how the difficulties voters face are manufactured by a system that is resistant to change. Brown held up her phone at one point and questioned the audience, why we can’t vote in elections from an app.

She claimed that doing so is a right available in other countries, but not in the U.S., although no country allows voting from a cell phone for major elections.

Moving again beyond the right to vote, Brown spoke about labor rights and working conditions. She brought up concerns about how technological advancements primarily benefit the rich, while average Americans don’t reap the same rewards.  

She said that real change in power and wealth distribution in the United States comes through voting.

“We made it into this mechanism, this model that we’re just machines in the system, while those at the top are literally [benefitting] from technology,” Brown said.

Brown also spoke to the personal value of voting. 

“That is why you have to vote, not because it’s obligatory or enshrined in the Constitution, but because you matter,” Brown said. “You matter and we need to grab every piece of power that is available.”

After a Q&A session, Brown wrapped up by acknowledging what she believes are the flaws in democracy, namely the fact that the U.S. is a two-party system. Brown emphasized that despite flaws with the current system, real change comes from relentlessness.

“If somebody was breaking into my house and I didn’t have a gun or a knife, and my little baby was there, and all I had was a bottle of water, what do y’all think I would do?” Brown said. “I would use that bottle of water and beat the hell out of whoever was breaking in. Use every position you have to protect those you love.”

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