An article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently quoted Dr. Carol Anderson, Charles Howard Candler Professor of African American Studies, Department Chair, and Associated Faculty in the History Department. The piece investigates the term “Jim Crow 2.0,” which has recently gained purchase as a description of disenfranchising election laws passed in states throughout the U.S., including Georgia. Anderson offers historical context about the similarities and differences between official anti-Black policies and practices from the turn of the 20th century and today. Read an excerpt below along with the full article: “What does Jim Crow 2.0 mean? A look at the history of segregation laws.”

“The rationale for poll taxes and other voting restrictions in Mississippi’s 1890 constitution — a model for other Southern states, including Georgia — was to restore election integrity, said Carol Anderson, chair of African American studies at Emory University. But Mississippi’s governor admitted the real reason was to eliminate Black people from politics, she said.”