Dear Editor,

It's hard to believe that in the 21st Century we are still fighting for our Civil Rights! As our nation has grown and developed into a powerful world leader, we as a society have also grown and developed in regards to human rights and civil rights. We recognize that all people, regardless of gender, race, religious affiliation or sexual orientation, should have the same rights. But it hasn't always been this way...

***Prior to the 15th amendment, African Americans did not have the right to vote. Even still, many states continued to impose practices such as needing to pass "literacy tests" to qualify for voting, thereby, discriminating against many African Americans. It wasn't until the “National Voting rights act of 1965” that discriminatory voting practices were prohibited and outlawed.

***Prior to the 19th Amendment, which passed in 1920, woman of any race could not vote.

***Prior to 1967, it was still illegal to have an interracial marriage. In the Civil Rights case, "Loving v. Virginia", the Supreme Court ruled the "Racial Integrity Act of 1924" unconstitutional and race based legal restrictions on marriage came to an end.

What if a group people were able to put a measure on the ballot to take away one of these aforementioned rights? Would this be acceptable?

In 2008, a small group of people want to take away the right to marry the person you love. This very personal decision truly only impacts two people – the two individuals that plan to share their lives together. We, the people, have the opportunity to prevent this from happening by voting NO on 8.

Our constitution is supposed to protect our freedoms and until now, has been used for this purpose. If Proposition 8 passes, it will eliminate fundamental rights; discrimination against one segment of our community will be written into our constitution. Prop 8 is a giant step backwards for California. VOTING NO on 8 ensures that all of our rights are protected and helps prevent the possibility of our rights being taken away in the future!

Please make sure you know the facts before you vote. Prop 8 is about discrimination – it is about “taking rights away”. It protects no one. Please vote no on Prop 8 and preserve our rights!

Barb Hare

Signal Hill, CA



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Published: October 31, 2008 - Volume 7 - Issue 28