After 40 Years, I Regained My Freedom And The Right To Vote

I got up on November 4 with a sense of dread. I felt the same way on the morning I was released from prison after serving close to forty years for a crime I did not commit. I welcomed both mornings but had this sense that something would go wrong. As I dressed, all the while making sure that I had all the tolls for the day, camera, pen, pad, and of course reading glasses, I knew that this day would be even better than the day I walked out of that court room. Before heading to the polling booth, I stopped at my sister Carolyn’s home, where I stayed upon my release from prison. I had to pay my respects to the person who stood by me every step of the way. On my way to the polling place, it started to rain. I decided to walk anyways. I wanted to be reminded of what some folk had been through to make this day possible. When I cast my vote for the next President of the United States of America, it seemed that as a nation, we had finally arrived. I did not think this would happen in my lifetime. I had regained my freedom – and my right to vote – I felt I too had arrived.

Source: Brennan Center