1868 – Government announces ratification of Fourteenth Amendment, which establishes black citizenship but allows states to ban voters with criminal convictions, leading to continued racialized disenfranchisement.

July 28th

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The Photo O’ Day is, for the third time, remembering Representative John Lewis.

Why, you may wonder, is so much attention being given to memorialize him?

I think this is answered in part by this story in The Atlantic – “John Lewis Was an American Founder”

The Third American Republic, the only one to sincerely pursue the promises of the Declaration of Independence and the first true attempt at interracial democracy in American history, was founded by people including Vivian, Lewis, Diane Nash, and Coretta Scott King.

They are part of a third generation of American leaders who elevated the universal truths in Christian doctrine and the words of the 1776 Founders, and shamed the nation into deciding that these ideals meant something. The Voting Rights Act and Civil Rights Act remade America into something it had never been, bringing the nation closer to what it fancied itself to be.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/07/how-john-lewis-founded-third-american-republic/614371/

Rep. John Lewis is only the second black Congressperson to lie in state in the Capital Rotunda.

The first was Rep. Elijah Cummings, a friend of Rep. Lewis who died a few months ago.

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In much less important news, it hasn’t even been a full week of games yet and already Major League Baseball has hit its first “corona-crisis” – Opinion: MLB season now in jeopardy after COVID-19 outbreak hits Miami Marlins

This is why I’m sticking with Marble League 2020 for my competitive “sports” fix during this Pandemic Period. So far ZERO marbles are COVID-positive and there’s every indication that this trend will continue.

After the first eight events, here’s where things stand:

From the beginning I picked these four as my teams – Minty Maniacs, Raspberry Racers, Bumblebees and Oceanics.

How did these teams do in event nine? Watch and see:

For all of the Marble League teams, their backstories, and much, much more visit the Marble League Fan Wiki