For this second episode of the mini-bonus season of the Pledge, we’re going to hear an interview with Dr. Joyce Ladner, from the podcast Democracy Works. As someone who is relatively new to activism, I’m inspired and humbled by those who’ve come before me - who have blazed trails by dedicating their lives to ending injustice. In 1963, at just 19, civil rights activist Joyce Ladner helped organize the March on Washington. A member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the 1950s and 60s, Dr. Ladner was mentored by Medgar Evers, but was expelled from Jackson State University in Mississippi for participating in a sit-in. And even though she was an excellent student and knew her civics, she failed Mississippi’s voter literacy test three times. Everyone who was black failed.

Our thanks to Democracy Works for sharing this fascinating interview with our community of listener activists. Democracy Works, created by The McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State University, aims to rise above partisan politics and the daily news grind to take a broader look at issues impacting democracy. I hope you find this interview with Joyce Ladner as inspiring as I did!