Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy. For Black Americans, securing the right to vote has been a battle. While the 14th Amendment granted Black Americans citizenship in 1868, poll taxes, literacy tests, and intimidation created insurmountable barriers to the polls. Due to the courage of many Americans who marched, protested, and applied consistent pressure on legislators, the 1965 Voting Rights Act prohibited attempts at excluding Black Americans from voting. However, in 2024, voter suppression tactics, such as gerrymandering, limited poll locations and voting times continue to prevent Black Americans from voting. The Walk (A Stroll to the Polls) takes readers along as Granny and her granddaughter, both Black Americans, set out on foot to cast their votes. Along the way, community members join them, creating a large group who arrives at the polls together to, as Granny says, “stand up and say what’s on our minds.” For Granny, this walk is sacred.
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