Voter Suppression

Joining the co-hosts for the third episode of THE Conversation are guest panelists Mark Long, Ph.D.; Lynne Rhodes; and Joanna McWilliam. Also appearing on the program are Joel Smith and Lionel Hall. This edition of THE Conversation focuses on two topics, “What concerns, if any, do you have about voter suppression as it pertains to race and racism?” and “How do you motivate people to vote in light of voter suppression efforts?”

Mark Long holds a Ph.D. in history from Loyola University Chicago and a B.A. in political science from Auburn University. His research areas and interests include the intersections between maritime, economic and environmental history and policy, especially focused on frontier and borderland areas.

Lynne Rhodes is a native of Falmouth who majored in Social Work and Human Development in college. She is a member of the Town of Falmouth Affirmative Action/Diversity Committee and was elected as a Town Meeting Member for Precinct 8. She was also elected to the Falmouth Democratic Town Committee’s Executive Board and is an Executive Board member for the Cape Cod branch of the NAACP.

A civil rights and voting rights activist who trained with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Jesse Jackson; Andrew Young; and others as a member of the SCOPE (Summer Community Organization and Political Education) program in the 1960’s, Joanna McWilliams has a Master’s Degree in African Studies from Boston University. After living and working as an activist and educator in Nigeria, South Boston, New York, India, and Kenya, she retired to Cape Cod in 2010.