Remembering John Richardson this Black History Month

February is Black History Month, a time for Americans to remember and commemorate the Black people who fought for centuries for justice and equal rights. When it comes to voting and elections specifically, one name that is important to Minnesota’s history of Black Suffrage is John Richardson – the man credited as being the first Black person to ever cast a vote in Minnesota.

Exactly 157 years ago on February 23, 1869, John Richardson cast his ballot on a Wabasha County bond referendum and marked a stark change in Minnesota elections. John’s journey to the polls was hard fought. After escaping slavery in Tennessee during the Civil War, Richardson was sheltered by Union Troops until settling in the north. His progress to vote would have also never happened without the Black community in Minnesota, most specifically the Golden Key Club, an African American literary group started in St. Paul.

The Golden Key club had sent a one-page memorial to the Minnesota House urging for voting rights amongst African Americans, who were paying taxes and had fought in the Civil War. This was a catalyst in state Republicans proposing an amendment to remove the word “white” from voting requirements in the state constitution. This amendment would be proposed twice – once in 1865 and in 1867 – both failed to pass.

It wasn’t until 1868 that Minnesota became one of the two Northern states (the other being Iowa) to call for an African American suffrage referendum on the ballot. The referendum passed with 57% of the vote on November 3, 1868, which gave all male citizens in Minnesota the right to vote. Black women unfortunately did not have the right to vote in general elections in Minnesota until 1920.

We recognize the hard-fought history of expanded suffrage in Minnesota during Black History Month – and we carry that responsibility forward year-round by administering secure, accurate, and accessible elections and ensuring every eligible voter has equitable access to the ballot.

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Sources: African American Suffrage in Minnesota, 1868 | MNopedia

Politics of the Past: Minnesota’s struggle for black suffrage

house.mn.gov/hinfo/swkly/1995-96/select/black.txt