I was taken away from my home in Jamaica and brought here on a ship and was renamed a Jamaican-American. I was ten years old. I have seen my people tried to run from the Europeans. They would be killed for running away if the Europeans found them. Many Jamaican-Americans tried to rebel against the Europeans but they had weapons and horses.
When I became 18 years old the 15th amendment was approved on March 30, 1870. At that time, I decided to vote, but I did not know how to read because we were slave and were not allowed to read. Nobody taught us how to read not even a book or a piece of paper. I tried to vote but they told me if you do not have an education for 5th degree you are not allowed to vote. Being a slave, we were told to read a section of the constitution aloud and say the section in your own words. Also, I was to write out another section of the constitution and answer eight questions on the constitution, I did not
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I knew white people had the upper hand in this county so I knew this would be an unfair fight, physically. I believe in fighting for my right to vote and protect my family. When I decided to fight for my right I saw five white men appeared with weapons in their hands. I asked which one of them is going to fight me, they all laughed and they slowly walked towards me. One of them tried to take a swing at me and I dodged it and I tried to fight back. I was holding my ground and before I knew it I was surrounded and the five of them hit, kicked, and spat on me. I thought this was the end for me, but then they left me on the floor beaten and bruised. I could hear them laughing and making fun of me.
This was the life of a black person living in America wanting to make a living and vote. America is a county where black people will never be fully accepted for who they