CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Representative Terry Brown, along with other North Carolina representatives, introduced new legislation on Wednesday that would call for removing literacy tests from the constitution.
Officials say in 1899 the North Carolina General Assembly voted to pass a constitutional amendment requiring citizens to pass a literacy test prior to voting, which is being challenged currently since the amendment was used throughout the South to deprive Black citizens of their right to vote.
While the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act made North Carolina’s literacy test inoperable, officials say by keeping the literacy test in the constitution, North Carolina is holding onto its obsolete Jim Crow past.
Officials say a bill to remove the literacy test from the North Carolina constitution was first introduced in the General Assembly in 1969, but failed on the ballot.
Representative Brown says he is confident that in 2022 residents of North Carolina will be eager to eliminate the literacy test from North Carolina constitution.
βThere is no greater way to honor the legacy of Henry Fryeβthe first African American legislator elected in North Carolina in the 20th Centuryβthan by championing this legislation and finally carrying it over the finish line half a century after it was first introducedβ Representative Brown stated. βPassing this bill with bipartisan support and letting the people of North Carolina have the final say is needed now more than ever to show that our state is moving forward and truly believes in progress.β
