By Attorney Raven Beach
Continuing our month-long celebration of Black History, I take a look at our community, autonomy, and freedoms as Americans. Take my daughter, for instance. She attends a diverse public school with no limitations on her aspirations. She can have credit, buy a house, worship where she wants, and vote. Rights that she does not take for granted, knowing that just 60 years ago, her grandmother and great-grandmother were fighting for them. She now has civil rights – rights defined by landmark cases and key legislation. Let’s take a closer look.
Civil rights are enforceable legal guarantees of equal protection from discrimination based on race, sex, religion, or disability for every person. Notable cases include Brown v. Board of Education (1954), in which the Supreme Court ruled that school segregation was unconstitutional. The Civil Rights Act of 1965 banned segregation in public places and workplace discrimination. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibits racial discrimination.
Today, we are faced with new legislation promoted under the guise of election protection, but could actually dismantle some people’s right to vote. The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act was introduced in January 2025 and passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on February 11, 2026, and is now before the Senate. It would require people to provide proof of citizenship (a birth certificate or passport) to register to vote, implement a nationwide photo ID requirement to cast a ballot, and make it more difficult to vote by mail without valid identification.
Why should you care? The result of this legislation could cause millions to lose their right to vote, disproportionately impacting Blacks by erecting new barriers to ballots. Fewer than half of Americans have a valid passport, according to the U.S. State Department. Married women who changed their last names, seniors, rural voters, and low-income Americans would be especially impacted.
Proponents of the bill believe it is necessary to maintain voter integrity, while opponents say it dismantles civil rights. The Senate will now decide if the hard-fought civil right to vote will come with more conditions and permission. Which brings me back to my daughter and her autonomy, and how fleeting civil rights can be depending on who is in office.
Raven Perry-Beach, Esq.
107 Jefferson St.
Suite 14
Huntsville, AL 35801
(256) 799-0292
* Licensed in Alabama, Tennessee, Massachusetts, and DC
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