We honor our ancestors when we vote

The 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution granted descendants of enslaved Africans citizenship, but what it did not do is give us the right to vote. Those who came before us were systematically turned away from exercising their voices. They were treated as if the thoughts they possessed meant nothing, and even with freedom, their voices were still not important enough to contribute to the decision of who should lead the country politically. Then Congress passed the 15th Amendment, which prevented any state from taking the right to vote away from any person based on race, color or previous conditions of servitude. It is one thing to solidify a law, but what happens when that law isn't properly enforced? Jim Crow laws and poll taxes were created to further prevent African-Americans from voting. It wasn't until 1964 that the 24th Amendment deemed poll taxes to be against the law. The following year, the 1965
Voting Act provided African-Americans with the actual right to vote. Fast forward to 2018 Florida and you'll find Andrew Gillum, a Miami native who was born into an everyday family just like most of us. He now stands as the first black Democratic nominee for governor of Florida. I hope everyone is also proud of him, because he is a product of an HBCU. Among some of his plans for the state, Gillum wants to protect and expand healthcare for all, which is a problem that many families face. Gillum, who is the mayor of Tallahassee, is more than qualified to be our next governor. He has developed an innovative economy there, beat the gun lobby to protect common sense reform, and even stood up to President Donald Trump and Gov. Rick Scott. What I am writing today is meant to show how important
it is to get out and vote. Coming from a history of forced silence and no political input, we are soaring more than we ever have! Andrew Gillum is a voice our ancestors fought to have and all it takes is one vote and many voices. We are what the future needs because we are the future