Essay On Felon Disenfranchisement

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Recommended: African Americans and discrimination in the justice system

Within the Black/African American community today, there is a lot of discussion about the prison system, and how it seems as if it is modern day slavery. One example of this is felon disenfranchisement, which is when a person has become ineligible to vote because of a criminal conviction, regardless of if they have served their sentence. African Americans are not the only people affected by this, but being that African Americans make up most of the prison population, it is understood why this is a big deal in the community. To many, felon disenfranchisement brings up feelings of the past when African Americans were considered equal, but when it came to things such as voting, it was rarely afforded to them. However, people both inside and outside …show more content…

Also in her closing, she reaches out to those who may be for felon disenfranchisement by letting them know that this only imprisons our democracy. This connects with this audience because many of us want to see our country progress and move forward. Another emotional connection Nelson makes, involves how the idea of felon disenfranchisement is based off judging someone from their past. In society if you judge someone based off their past or their appearance, you’re seen as a bad person, and no one wants that label. The argument against felon disenfranchisement is consistently supported by Nelson’s argument, by keeping the theme of African American suppression relevant. She uses facts about African American voting rights, the U.S. criminal justice system, as well as a Supreme Court case to back up her belief that felon disenfranchisement is both unfair and unnecessary. As an associate director for the NAACP’s Legal Defense and Educational Fund, it is easy to be persuaded by Nelson because of her title. To have a title belonging to such a prestigious organization means a lot and makes her appear to be a very credible

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