Dothan Man Votes for First time since 1970

Published: November 4, 2008

Ussery Knight strolled into the polling place at Doug Tew Recreation Center on Tuesday.

It was just before 5 p.m. and the lines were down. Knight grabbed his ballot, cast his vote for Barack Obama, and walked out. It marked the first time he had been able to vote in almost 40 years.

The last time Knight, 62, had the right to vote, gas was 36 cents per gallon, the Dow sat at 839, “Patton” was the big movie at the box office and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” was beginning a seven-year run on television.

It was 1970. Knight doesn’t even remember who he voted for that year.

About two years later, Knight was convicted of manslaughter, a Class A felony. He said he only served probation, but the felony conviction meant he forfeited the right to vote.

“I didn’t think I would ever be able to vote again,” Knight said. “Funny thing is, I was just getting back from Vietnam, fighting for freedom.”

But recently, Knight was watching television when he saw the Rev. Kenneth Glasgow, founder of The Ordinary People Society, talking about the restoration of voting rights for ex-felons. Glasgow has mounted a crusade throughout Alabama to help ex-felons regain the right to vote.

Knight followed up with Glasgow and filled out the necessary paperwork. A few weeks later, his right to vote had been restored.

“It was really easier than I thought it would be,” he said.

Knight said he voted for Obama because “I saw him on television and liked what he said.”

Now, Knight said he plans to vote every election.

“If you don’t have the right to vote and can get that right restored, you need to look into it,” he said.

We have alot of work to do!

I don't want anyone to get confused since Obama is the president into thinking that now everything is going to be alright.
We have alot of work to do, now more than ever. The racism and biasness has and will become more prevalent. I just went through an ordeal yesterday continuing to fight for our voting rights and for some strange reason even though alot of us ex-felons voted, contributed and participated in gaining this monumental victory we are still not treated or seated in a state of equality. I'm truly becoming convinced that our moral ethics and values have taken a dive in the wrong direction. We have no regards for fellow human beings and their rights. It's amazing to me how we embrace a system that should've been set up to protect us and yet it has become our worst enemy. So I question you today what have we become and where do we go from here?
Whenever we can just take human life and call it the death penalty, but yet do not use all of our modern technology to prove without a shadow of a doubt that the person is guilty, what have we become? and don't you dare point the finger at someone else because we accept it as the norm, so what about us?
When we are supposedly moving in the right direction and don't open the doors for those who God has given the same rights as you and yet you still treat them as if they're not your equal, what have we become?
When we have these progressive organizations that fight for hauman rights, ex-felons, and etc. but yet there's not one of us who you supposedly represent on your board to help in the decision making. Oh you will hire us and give us a position but not an equal seat at the table.
When you have the funds to get alot of this progressive work done and know the groups and organizations out there who can get the job done and will not help or support them in order to enhance the process, I ask you again, what have we become?
When we allow those who we have put in office to tell us what we can get instead of telling them what we need and want, what have we become?
Have we gotten to the point where we have become co-conspiritors of our own oppression or are we really ready to do what needs to be done!
If you are, then look at your own reservations and apprehensions when it comes to others. Look at your organizations or groups and see are you really diverse. Look at your war chess and ask yourself have your really contributed all that you can to the issues you claim you're fighting. Have you given all you can give to society and humanity. And most of all have you been all that you can be in society, and allowed or given opportunity to others as much as you can so they can do the same?
Because then and only then have you truly become a HUMANE BEING!!!