Born in 1910, Annie Lee Cooper didn’t witness a Black person voting until she was 14 years old.
Voting became Cooper’s dream. She never imagined her dreams would lead to punching a police officer.
In 1962, Cooper attempted to vote in Selma but was denied. This pattern continued for years. Still, Cooper continued to show up to vote, sometimes waiting in line for 9 hours just to be denied again.
One day, her employer saw her waiting in line. Cooper was fired and blacklisted, making it nearly impossible for her to find work.
In 1965, MLK arrived in Selma to co-organize a national voting campaign. Again, Cooper was one of the hundreds who stood in line to register to vote.
The police arrived, and the infamous local sheriff Jim Clark violently poked Cooper with his baton. Without hesitation, Cooper knocked Clark to the ground.
Weeks after her arrest, Cooper stated, “I just can’t say I wouldn’t do the same thing all over again if they treat me brutish like they did.”
Black voter intimidation still exists and will likely only get worse as anti-Black legislation continues to sweep the country.
Like Cooper, it’s our responsibility to question systems that silence us and to throw down for what we believe in.