You Can’t Unring the Bell

You Can’t Unring the Bell is a series of artifacts that are verbatim performances of moments from history related to voting rights in America, starting in March 1965 and moving up through December 2019. Given that 2020 is the centenary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, we cast women to perform some of the men represented in these original clips.

As you experience each of the artifacts, please consider the following question:

How does your experience of these people and their messages change when their words and gestures are delivered by different bodied actors? 

Timeline: March 15, 1965

Historical Context: While the Civil Rights Act of 1964 included a provision protecting voting rights, it was not as strong as President Lyndon Johnson intended, and as a result, it did little to change attitudes and practices in the American South. In his State of the Union address in January 1965, Johnson asked Congress to pass stronger legislation to end voter suppression, but Congress was unsuccessful. On March 7, 1965, Americans experienced what became known as “Bloody Sunday” in Selma, Alabama, as hundreds of civil rights activists including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Lewis were attacked by state troopers and sheriff’s deputies as they attempted to cross the Pettus Bridge on their march from Selma to Montgomery, protesting the need for a voting rights bill. In response to these events, President Johnson called a joint session of Congress on March 15, and delivered a special message entitled “The American Promise.” In it, he called for Congress to act on passing legislation with far-reaching effects to end voter suppression in the United States.

Timeline: February 27, 2013

Historical Context: The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was originally set to expire after five years, but was renewed by Congress with bipartisan support in 1970, 1975, 1982, and 2006. In all four instances of its renewal, the updated legislation was signed into law by sitting Republican presidents (Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Bush). In 2010, Shelby County, Alabama, sued the United States Attorney General in Federal District Court in Washington, DC, seeking judgment that Sections 4(b) and 5 of the Voting Rights Act were unconstitutional. The District Court upheld the Voting Rights Act, so Shelby County filed a writ of certiorari with the Supreme Court, which heard the case on February 27, 2013, and then issued their 5-4 decision on June 25, 2013, striking down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. This is an excerpt of Attorney General Eric Holder’s statement in response to the ruling.

Timeline: November 16, 2018

Historical Context: In June 2017, Stacey Abrams, a Democrat and former member of the Georgia state House of Representatives from 2007 through 2017, announced her campaign to become the first Black woman elected as the governor of any state in the United States. After winning the Democratic primary, Abrams faced Georgia’s then sitting Secretary of State, Brian Kemp, as her Republican challenger in November 2018. After a highly publicized and contentious election that included multiple allegations of voter suppression, Kemp became the governor of Georgia. On November 16, in response to the election results, Stacey Abrams delivered a speech about the election process. This is an excerpt from that speech.

Timeline: October 17, 2019

Historical Context: The Congressional Black Caucus has lead the way in developing a response to the Supreme Court’s 2013 decision, specifically focusing on “[establishing] new criteria for determining which states and political subdivisions must obtain pre-clearance before changes to voting practices in these areas may take effect” (H.R. 4 – Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2019). The Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2019, known as H.R. 4, was introduced in the House by Representative Terri Sewell of Alabama, and as part of that process, she testified before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. Following her opening statement, Rep. Sewell was questioned by the committee’s chairman Rep. Cohen, and this is an excerpt of that questioning.

Timeline: October 23, 2019

Historical Context: Members of the House Judiciary Committee continued to debate the proposed legislation to strengthen the Voting Rights Act, including questioning what constitutes a valid ID for voter registration. As we heard Rep. Sewell mention in the last piece, all sorts of obstructions have been used to prevent people from voting, and questioning the validity of certain kinds of ID continues to be used to suppress the vote. In this exchange between Chairman Jerry Nadler and two representatives from Louisiana, Democrat Cedric Richmond and Republican Mike Johnson, the three men discuss different types of photo identification and question whether or not they should be considered valid forms of voter ID.

Timeline: December 6, 2019

Historical Context: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called a press conference on the morning of the House’s vote to pass H.R. 4, and she was joined by several members of Congress including Representative Terri Sewell, whose testimony is depicted in this series, as well as Representative John Lewis and House Majority Whip Representative Jim Clyburn of South Carolina. This clip features Representative Clyburn’s remarks during that press conference.

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Production Credits

Created by: Keith R. Huff, Joe Salvatore, & Tammie L. Swopes

Production support provided by NYU-TV
Special thanks to Robert Thaxton-Stevenson & Darren Whorto

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You Can’t Unring the Bell was created for NYU’s 2020 Constitution Day Celebration: Voting Rights in America. It premiered on September 23, 2020, in a Zoom webinar format and featured commentary and discussion provided Jack Knott, Dean of NYU Steinhardt, and Franita Tolson, Vice Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs and Professor of Law at University of Southern California Gould School of Law.

Funding Support Provided By:

• NYU Brademas Center
• NYU Government Affairs
• NYU Votes
• NYU Student Affairs
• Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network – NYU Law.