The Need to Defend the Vote

August 28, 2026On August 28, 1963, Reverend Dr Martin Luther King spoke at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, His speech was about race, but also about economics, John Lewis also spoke, calling for peaceful demonstrations and the vote, In 1964, voters gave Democrats a strong majority in Congress and, with President Lyndon B. Johnson, were able to pass 84 new laws putting Johnson’s Great Society in Place, The laws cemented civil rights, created jobs, provided aid for job training and education, created Medicare and Medicaid, protected consumers and the environment, and provided support for the arts and the humanities, With the election of Richard Nixon the race to tear apart this commitment by appealing to racism was on, And in 2026 the Trump administration is abandoning Temporary Protected Status for Haitians who came to the US because it was too dangerous for them at home, Meanwhile vast sums are being contributed to keeping Republicans in office as they funnel money upward and dismantle the government, Republican candidates are calling for ICE and retired police to be deployed to intimidate voters in the midterms.Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe