HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) – The general election is days away and Alabamians will soon get to vote for a reorganization of the constitution.
One proposal on the upcoming ballot will remove racist language that remains in official writing.
Attorney and professor at Alabama A&M University Dr. Will Nevin said this is a step in the right direction.
“The 1901 constitution is a fundamentally racist document, passed in a fundamentally racist era that fundamentally disenfranchises a great portion of the state of Alabama.” Dr. Nevin said.
The proposal would remove language allowing slavery as a punishment for crime and allowing children to go to a school based on their own race to preserve peace and order.
Alabama NAACP President Benard Simelton said it’s important for people to exercise their rights.
“Everything is determined by vote, and that’s why we encourage people to get out and vote,” said Simelton, “If you don’t vote, then you don’t have a say in what happens.”
The 1901 Constitution of Alabama has been amended 977 times over decades, adding and repealing language.
Dr. Nevin says this recompilation of the constitution is necessary to make an official change.
“That guiding principle in our constitution is still there. And that’s why need this ballot initiative, to wipe away officially that stain.”
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