Memphis Public Libraries

Memphis, West Tennessee

Selected by History Department Senior Manager G. Wayne Dowdy

 

In 1914, a group calling themselves the Colored Voters of Shelby County sent this letter to local elected officials demanding that candidates for public office take action to improve conditions in Black neighborhoods. In this audio clip, Wayne Dowdy explains what this letter tells us about Black American’s political activities in Jim Crow-era Memphis and how their actions are an example of democracy in action.