This is part 1 of a 3 part series on The Power of the Black Vote in  America. The first part of this series talks about the history of the  Black vote in America. In this episode, we talk about Black Suffrage, the Civil Rights movement, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. We interview Deborah Richardson, who will also be our guest co-host for this series. Deborah is a native Atlantan who grew up in the 1960s and was actively involved in civil rights as a teenager. Deborah is well respected in the civil rights and social justice space in Atlanta and has dedicated most of her career to teaching young leaders and adults the importance of their civic duty and participation in grassroots efforts to protect voting rights and civil rights.