Grandaddy’s Turn

This story takes place in the late 1960s after the Voting Rights Act was passed. The Voting Rights Act was passed to reinforce that African Americans had the right to vote. The law was meant to protect African Americans from voter disenfranchisement. In this story (told from the perspective of Michael), a young boy named Michael talks about the many lessons his grandfather taught him about patience. He remembers a walk he and Grandaddy took to Town Hall so that his Grandaddy could vote in an election for the first time. Unfortunately, his granddaddy was denied the right to vote after he was forced to take an unfair literacy test. Michael never forgets the disappointment in his Grandaddy’s face when he’s denied the right to vote. The story explores the pride and pain African Americans felt as they attempted to utilize the ballot box.