Troy University’s Rosa Parks Museum is collaborating with American Civil Liberties Union to present a panel discussion of voting rights efforts and overcoming the challenges presented by voting suppression on May 7 at the Union Station Train Shed.
Dr. Felicia Bell, the museum’s director, will moderate the discussion “Women on the Frontlines: Meeting the Challenge of Voter Suppression,” at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The discussion, which will feature women who are leading grassroots efforts to restore voting and overturn voter suppression measures, is a part of the daylong American Civil Liberties Union’s tour stop in Montgomery. The 15-city ACLU tour began in March and will conclude in New York City on May 31-June 2, to celebrate the organization’s 100 years of service. All events are free and open to the public.
Members of the panel are: Kynesha Brown, coordinator of the Rolling to the Polls voting initiative; Nancy Abudu, deputy legal director for voting rights with the Southern Poverty Law Center; and, Regina Moorer, an assistant professor of political science at Alabama State University.
“The Rosa Parks Museum is thrilled to collaborate with the ACLU for their ACLU100 tour stop in Montgomery,” Dr. Bell said. “This was a natural fit for us, as both of our institutions see the value in civic education. Voting is fundamental to our democracy. Therefore, access to it is essential if we want full freedom. I’m looking forward to a lively panel discussion with our audience.”
The discussion follows the model set by the museum’s Real Talk Community Forum series, which is held regularly to address current topics of interest or concern and offers area residents the opportunity to gain information and share viewpoints in a safe and civil setting.
In addition to the panel, activities will take place throughout the day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., including “I Am More than Tours: Creating Art and Changing Culture,” an interactive program beginning at 10 a.m. with Michelle Browder bridging creative art, Alabama’s history of civil rights and the conversation around racial reconciliation; lunch provided by That’s My Dog Jr., the nation’s first teen-run restaurant staffed by teens from That’s My Child, a nonprofit youth center which mentors youth through arts, education and entrepreneurship; “The People for Social Justice” career panel, beginning at noon, that will include staff from ACLU of Alabama, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Equal Justice Initiative and more; and, a pop-up exhibit, curated by 21 Dreams Arts & Culture, featuring protest art from The Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice and Adelante Alabama, available for viewing beginning at 4 p.m. Music will be provided from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. by DJ Meek of Montgomery’s 97.9 Jams.
