Stopping the Suffrage Backslide Before It Starts
A hundred years ago, women didn’t get the right to vote because some nice politician woke up and said, “You know what, let’s give the ladies a turn.”
No.
We chained ourselves to fences. We went on hunger strikes. We got arrested, beaten, mocked, and told to “go home to our husbands.” We refused to shut up — and that’s why the 19th Amendment exists.
Now here we are in 2025 — and some folks in actual positions of power are tossing around the idea that maybe women shouldn’t vote.
I wish I was joking.
I wish this was an Onion headline.
But recently, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reposted a video from pastors tied to a Christian nationalist church — pastors who literally said women’s voting rights should be repealed, and that only “male heads of households” should vote.
That’s not a meme from 1920. That’s this month.
Why We Can’t Just Roll Our Eyes
I know, I know — your first reaction is probably: “Pfft. That’ll never happen here.”
But history says otherwise.
- Every rollback starts as “just talk.” Jim Crow didn’t happen overnight — it crept in through “what ifs” and “just think about its.”
- Dangerous ideas get normalized one conversation at a time. First it’s a “joke,” then it’s “tradition,” then it’s legislation.
Let’s refresh memories on Jim Crow my friends. He wasn’t a person you’d invite to dinner. It was the name for a whole ugly era of laws and policies in the United States that enforced racial segregation and stripped Black Americans of their rights, especially in the South. Jim Crow is the perfect example of how rights can be rolled back piece by piece when enough people are willing to look the other way. Black men technically got the right to vote in 1870 with the 15th Amendment – but Jim Crow laws quickly stripped that right in practice for nearly a century.
If we laugh it off, we feed it oxygen. Bad ideas with enough oxygen? They grow teeth.
Let’s Call This What It Is
This is not about faith. I know plenty of believers who are fierce defenders of equality.
This is about control.
Specifically, the political strain known as Christian nationalism — which wants a government built on a narrow, cherry-picked interpretation of the Bible, with gender roles that would make 1950 look progressive.
In that world, women are “submissive,” men are “leaders,” and the ballot box? Closed to half the population.
And the people pushing it? They know exactly what they’re doing. They count on most Americans to shrug and think, “That’s too crazy to ever happen.”
The 5-step survival guide
The 5-Step Survival Guide
(Because sitting quietly was never our style.)
VOTE LIKE YOUR RIGHTS DEPEND ON IT
Because they do. Local, state, federal — every election matters. Low turnout is their playground.
CALL IT OUT
If someone says this mess in church, online, or over Thanksgiving dinner — speak up.
Silence = approval.
BACK UP THE FRONTLINE FIGHTERS
Donate to women’s rights groups, voting rights coalitions, and watchdog orgs that track extremism. Money and manpower keep the lights on in the resistance.
RULE THE DIGITAL STREETS
Flood your feed with facts. Share credible news from AP, Reuters, NPR.
Counter their narrative with receipts, history, and examples of women leading and crushing it.
TEACH THE NEXT CREW
The next generation needs the real story of suffrage, civil rights, and equality. Don’t let “tradition” fairy tales replace history.
The Torch Is in Our Hands
We didn’t inherit the right to vote as some dusty museum piece.
We inherited it as a live torch — and if we drop it, it’s gone.
Our foremothers didn’t fight this hard just for us to sit back and let some retrograde movement undo their work.
Rights don’t protect themselves.
They survive because everyday people stand up and say:
“Not on our watch.”
So show up. Speak up. Vote. Teach. Share.
Because this time, we’re not just fighting for ourselves — we’re holding the line for every daughter, granddaughter, and future voter who’s counting on us not to blink.
Words to Stand On
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” — Proverbs 31:8-9
“Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.” — Amos 5:24
“The vote is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have.” — John Lewis
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” — Margaret Mead
From My Heart to Yours
I’m not writing this from some distant soapbox.
I’m writing as a woman, a mother, a grandmother, and a believer in the God-given dignity of every soul.
I’m writing as someone who knows the cost of staying silent — and the cost is far too high.
So here’s my promise: I will speak. I will act. I will vote.
And I will link arms with every sister, brother, and neighbor who refuses to hand over what so many fought to secure.
If your heart is pounding as you read this, then you already know — this is your fight, too.
Let’s show the future that we were the generation who refused to go backward.
With resolve, love, and unshakable faith,
Tina N. Campbell | Scribed In Light
Scribed In Light 
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