Copyright Date:
2020
Edition Date:
2020
Release Date:
10/06/20
Pages:
xiv, 159 pages
ISBN:
0-8070-6232-4
ISBN 13:
978-0-8070-6232-6
Dewey:
342.759
LCCN:
2020022049
Dimensions:
24 cm.
Language:
English
Reviews:
Publishers Weekly
(Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)
Meade, president of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, recounts his troubled life story and his turn toward political activism in his appealing debut memoir. Born in St. Croix and raised in Miami, Meade fell into drug addiction after a stint in the army and served three years in prison for illegal possession of a firearm by a felon. (Originally sentenced to 15 years, he assisted his public defender on the appeal that won his early release.) After getting out, Meade cycled in and out of homelessness and addiction until he entered his fourth drug treatment program, renewed his faith in God, and earned his college and law degrees. Inspired by his own struggles, Meade successfully championed Florida-s 2018 Amendment 4 ballot initiative, in which voting and other civil rights were restored to 1.5 million ex-felons. He does a skillful job taking readers through the blow-by-blow of the campaign, including the process of writing the actual text of the referendum, and makes a persuasive case that restoring the civil rights of ex-felons will lower rates of recidivism. Throughout, Meade interweaves moving personal anecdotes, including the moment, talking to a younger man after a drug treatment therapy session, when he found his calling to help other people. This poignant account soars. (Oct.)
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Publishers Weekly
(Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)
Desmond Meade was chosen as a MacArthur Fellow in 2021
The inspiring and eye-opening true story of one man’s undying belief in the power of a fully enfranchised nation.
“You may think the right to vote is a small matter, and if you do, I would bet you have never had it taken away from you.” Thus begins the story of Desmond Meade and his inspiring journey to restore voting rights to roughly 1.4 million returning citizens in Florida—resulting in a stunning victory in 2018 that enfranchised the most people at once in any single initiative since women’s suffrage.
Let My People Vote is the deeply moving, personal story of Meade’s life, his political activism, and the movement he spearheaded to restore voting rights to returning citizens who had served their terms. Meade survived a tough childhood only to find himself with a felony conviction. Finding the strength to pull his life together, he graduated summa cum laude from college, graduated from law school, and married. But because of his conviction, he was not even allowed to sit for the bar exam in Florida. And when his wife ran for state office, he was filled with pride—but not permitted to vote for her.
Meade takes us on a journey from his time in homeless shelters, to the exhilarating, joyful night in November of 2018, when Amendment 4 passed with 65 percent of the vote. Meade’s story, and his commitment to a fully enfranchised nation, will prove to readers that one person really can make a difference.
PROLOGUE
Love Has Won the Day
ONE
The Railroad Tracks
TWO
Searching for Purpose
THREE
Down on My Knees
FOUR
A Passion for the Law
FIVE
Back to School
SIX
Staying Sober
SEVEN
Community Service Is My Lottery Ticket
EIGHT
Advocacy on Another Level
NINE
David and Goliath
TEN
A Ballot Initiative?
ELEVEN
Law School
TWELVE
Wouldn’t It Be Great If I Made Dean’s List?
THIRTEEN
The Greatest Indicator of Citizenship
FOURTEEN
No Man Is an Island
FIFTEEN
Cooking Up Some Gumbo
SIXTEEN
Blood Is Thicker Than Water
SEVENTEEN
Let’s Rock This Thing
EIGHTEEN
The Home Stretch
EPILOGUE
Love Will Win the Day
Acknowledgments
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