Episode Details

Baruch College School of Public Affairs presents the Lillie and Nathan Ackerman Lecture Series on Equality and Justice in America. This two-part series evaluates the legacy of The Voting Rights Act (VRA) and advocates for its reauthorization by Congress.

After welcoming remarks by Stan Altman (Dean, School of Public Affairs), Marianne Engleman-Lado (General Counsel, NY Lawyers for Public Interest), granddaughter of Lillie and Nathan Ackerman, introduces the lecture series and its visiting professor, Sonia Jarvis. The symposium's keynote, Wade Henderson (Executive Director, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights) reviews the historical events that led to the passing of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 and illustrates how the VRA applies to more recent case studies in voter suppression. Henderson introduces two special provisions of the VRA that apply to certain jurisdictions based on demographics: Section 5, which requires preclearance before changes can be made to election practices, and Section 203, requiring language assistance at polling locations. Nina Perales (General Counsel, MALDEF San Anthonio) follows up with her experiences advocating for the voting rights for Mexican-Americans. Perales also covers the special provisions of the VRA, particularly section 203, and how it increased voter turnout among Mexican-Americans. Recorded on April 19th, 2005 at Baruch College.

This program was digitized, captioned, and made accessible in 2021 as part of ""Uncovering CUNY'S Audiovisual Heritage,"" a preservation project funded by Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR).

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