Professor of History and Black Studies discusses “Race and Choice” at Victor Talks – The Northerner

“Race and Choice” was the theme of the second episode of Victor Talks and Issues on Monday night.

Sponsored by NKU’s Scripps Howard Center for Civic Engagement and the Student Government Association, Victor Talks and Issues takes place once a month to educate students on issues affecting the 2024 presidential election. Faculty members who are experts in the field provide an overview of the presentation and then answer questions from students.

The speaker on Monday evening was Professor of History and Black Studies, Dr. David Childs.

“Race is one of those elephants in the room when it comes to voting,” Childs began, addressing the crowd in Student Union 104.

Childs quoted civil rights activist John Lewis and said that voting is one of the most powerful nonviolent tools we have in our democracy.

Drawing on the history of race and its connection to voting, Childs outlined four tactics used to discourage people of color from voting in the United States: literacy tests, poll taxes, grandfather clauses, and all-white primaries.

Those who could not demonstrate educational attainment above fifth grade were given literacy tests; If test takers missed a question, they failed. Poll taxes meant that individuals had to pay in order to vote, and grandfather clauses stated that individuals could only vote if they could prove that their relatives had voted in the past. Certain districts had all-white primaries, meaning white citizens would determine who everyone would vote for in the general election.

Childs said those practices largely ended when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1964, which banned racial discrimination in voting.

The history and black studies professor emphasized that racial problems stem from the dehumanization of others and the deprivation of their freedoms, not because they are Democratic or Republican.

“I want to teach people in my classes to think beyond Democrats and Republicans,” Childs said. “Let us exist in the third space above.”

Reflecting on his own personal experiences and family history, Childs recounted how his father grew up in the segregated South. He explained that to pick up his food, his father had to go to the back of a restaurant and use separate swimming pools and water fountains.

When it comes to the current impact of race, Childs highlighted four challenges that concern voters of color: voting rights, student debt relief, racism and bias, and police reform.

“This isn’t true for all black and brown people, but statistically for the most part these are the things they care about,” Childs said.

Black students graduated with an average of $52,000 in student debt, while white students graduated with an average debt of $28,000.

When it comes to police reform, Childs said it doesn’t mean every cop is bad, but he shared stories from his neighborhood who were harassed by police and from friends who were arrested for crimes they didn’t commit had.

Local or state government elections are just as important as presidential elections, if not more so, because they have a more direct impact on our lives, the professor explained. He encouraged the audience to consider running for office themselves, especially when it comes to places like local school boards.

“You don’t have to sit around and have someone else represent you,” Childs said. “You can run for office yourself.”

The next meeting of Victor Talks and Issues will be October 28th at 5pm in SU 104 with Dr. Abdullah Al-Bahrani will speak on “Economy and Elections”.