**Winner of 2024 Next Best Read Editor's Top Choice Award and 5-STAR Reader Views ** What Role Will You Play in Safeguarding Democracy for the Next Generation? Guardians of the Vote: History, Heroes, and the Legacy of Voting Rights—1960s v. Today is a powerful exploration of America’s ongoing fight for equal access to the ballot box. Educational leader and historian Jet Thomas, Ed.S., reveals the inspiring stories of individuals who have shaped the struggle for voting rights, from iconic figures like Bob Moses and Stacey Abrams to unsung Americans whose contributions have gone largely unnoticed—until now. Combining vivid storytelling, historical analysis, and actionable insights, this book invites readers to engage with the past and take action for the future of democracy. Through fresh personal narratives and detailed research, readers will: Learn how to actively protect American democracy today. - Understand the challenges to voting rights in the 1960s and now. - Explore the evolution—and manipulation—of voting systems over decades. - Uncover the alarming backslides in voting rights in recent years. - Be inspired by named Guardians of the Vote, individuals who have fought tirelessly for equality. Tavis Smiley, renowned journalist and activist, opens the book with a powerful foreword, providing a roadmap for civic engagement and emphasizing the importance of passing the values of equality and representation to future generations. Richly illustrated with historical timelines, infographics, and striking photographs, Guardians of the Vote presents an engaging and accessible look at the fight for voting rights. Praised by Kirkus Reviews as “an erudite and engrossing look at the perennial struggle to safeguard the cornerstone of democracy,” this book provides a comprehensive view of how voting rights have been both defended and suppressed over time. By highlighting the voices of unsung heroes alongside well-known advocates, Jet Thomas demonstrates the collective power of individuals in shaping a more equitable democracy. Whether it’s the historic marches of the 1960s or the grassroots efforts of today, Guardians of the Vote reminds us that the fight for equality is far from over. The future of democracy starts with you. Get your copy of Guardians of the Vote now and step into your role as a defender of every voice and every vote. The violence of Jim Crow has given way to craftier present-day methods of disenfranchising marginalized communities, according to this stirring history of American voting rights. Thomas begins by recapping laws that historically prevented Black people in segregated Southern states from voting, including exorbitant poll taxes and absurdly complicated "literacy" tests required of Black would-be voters but not white voters. More brutal methods were also used, the author notes; Black Southerners who tried to register to vote were often fired, evicted, arrested, beaten, or even killed. Thomas goes on to explore today's subtler means of voter suppression. These include voter ID laws that disproportionately disqualify minorities who lack official documents; laws that reduce the numbers of polling locations or make absentee voting harder; purges of voter lists; and restrictions on who can vote. Thomas weaves in detailed narratives of voting-rights milestones, like the 1965 voter registration drive and marches in Selma, Alabama, that led to police violence and galvanized the passage of the Voting Rights Act; he also explores later Supreme Court decisions that weakened the VRA and contemporary efforts to restore it. Throughout, the author spotlights voting-rights heroes from Bob Moses, who was beaten while leading a 1961 Mississippi registration drive, to Stacey Abrams, the 2018 Democratic candidate for governor of Georgia who founded Fair Fight Action, which registered thousands of voters and helped deliver Georgia to Joe Biden in 2020. Thomas combines deep dives into voting law with vivid, dramatic retellings of epic civil rights battles; his prose is lucid and perceptive, with occasional elegant perorations on the sacredness of the franchise . ("When people lose the power to vote, they lose the ability to choose their defenders. They lose representatives who understand, care about, and work to protect their rights. As a result, the US as a whole loses its voice.") The result is a captivating history that shows how relevant the defense of voting rights remains. An erudite and engrossing look at the perennial struggle to safeguard the cornerstone of democracy. -Kirkus Reviews 5-Star Award "Guardians of the Vote: History, Heroes, and the Legacy of Voting Rights—1960s v. Today" by Jet Thomas, Ed.S., a retired educator, is an essential text covering all aspects of voting in the United States of America. It focuses on how Black Americans, along with other minority groups, have suffered from unequal and often biased circumstances that have suppressed their participation in