Get 'em Wayne!

Professor Wayne Flynt, my old advisor, the dean of Alabama historians, and long a voice of reform in his state and region, is leading an effort to overturn the Alabama Constitution. Ratified by a tainted constitutional convention in 1901, this constitution not only disfranchised African American men, but also placed city and county governments at the mercy of the state legislature. Alabama's is the nation's longest state constitution --longer, Wayne says, than Moby Dick and The Bible -- and has over 800 amendments. This is because any time a county needs to pass a law of local interest -- almost as minor as naming a street -- they often must propose a constitutional amendment which voters across the state must ratify. It also enshrines a tax system that places the public burden on the poor and propertyless.

You can read the lawsuit, Wayne's statement, and hear an NPR interview with him here.

I have known about his efforts for years, but read about these recent developments today on the Cliopatria blog of the History News Network, a great resource.

Get'em Wayne!