Last week, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, which President Lyndon Johnson signed into law on August 6, 1965. As we ponder this major milestone in American history, we thought it would be nice to re-visit a conversation Tom had last January with Judge Robert Bell and the historian Jean Baker.
Voting is, of course, the fundamental right of citizens, and the essential ingredient of a democracy. Judge Bell and Dr. Baker talked about the role that citizenship plays in preserving freedom in America. They spoke in advance of a panel they were serving on in January at the Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum. Judge Robert M. Bell is the former Chief Judge on the Maryland Court of Appeals. He served in that position from 1996-2013, culminating a nearly 40 year career on the bench. Dr. Jean Baker is an historian and the author of many books on 19th century American History. She taught at Goucher College for many years on their Towson campus, and she continues to teach in Goucher’s Prison Education Program.
Coming up at the Banneker Museum in the next few weeks, programs about snakes and monarch butterflies, and on Saturday August 22nd, a concert by a terrific pianist, Craig Alston.
