On September 28, 1868, white mobs in Opelousas, Louisiana, unleashed racial terror as Black citizens were beginning to exercise newly gained voting rights during Reconstruction. An estimated 200 Black people were killed. The violence was so effective at suppressing Black political participation that, weeks later, Ulysses S. Grant received not a single vote in St. Landry Parish. The right to vote has never been only about access to a ballot. It is also about being able to exercise political power without intimidation, violence, or fear. We honor those who were killed by telling the truth about what happened and by protecting the freedom of every eligible voter to participate fully and safely in our democracy. #Opelousas #VotingRights #BlackHistory #Democracy #HumanDignity