Let My People Vote

August 24, 2020
Meade, president of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, recounts his troubled life story and his turn toward political activism in his appealing debut memoir. Born in St. Croix and raised in Miami, Meade fell into drug addiction after a stint in the army and served three years in prison for illegal possession of a firearm by a felon. (Originally sentenced to 15 years, he assisted his public defender on the appeal that won his early release.) After getting out, Meade cycled in and out of homelessness and addiction until he entered his fourth drug treatment program, renewed his faith in God, and earned his college and law degrees. Inspired by his own struggles, Meade successfully championed Florida’s 2018 Amendment 4 ballot initiative, in which voting and other civil rights were restored to 1.5 million ex-felons. He does a skillful job taking readers through the blow-by-blow of the campaign, including the process of writing the actual text of the referendum, and makes a persuasive case that restoring the civil rights of ex-felons will lower rates of recidivism. Throughout, Meade interweaves moving personal anecdotes, including the moment, talking to a younger man after a drug treatment therapy session, when he found his calling to help other people. This poignant account soars.

September 4, 2020

After spending three years in prison on drug and gun charges, upon release, Meade found himself back on drugs; experiencing homelessness with little to no contact with immediate family, struggling with suicidal thoughts, and desperate for change. How he turned his life around and became an activist for people who were previously incarcerated and returning to society is at the heart of his memoir. Meade's journey begins with a trip to a drug treatment program and a focus on the power of prayer. Knowing his grasp on sobriety was tenuous and feeling an urge to reach out to others, he went to college eventually earning a law degree. He often refers to his faith and the need for people to view "convicted felons" as returning citizens who deserve the right to vote. This viewpoint led to his appointment as head of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition and chair of Floridians for a Fair Democracy. And it led to legislation that gave returning citizens the right to vote in 2018. VERDICT An uplifting and hopeful chronicle of the power of faith, the rights of the disenfranchised, as well as a call for systemic change within the United States. --Leah Huey, Dekalb P.L., IL

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2020
In 2018, Florida voters resoundingly passed a ballot amendment that would restore voting rights to numerous returning citizens, i.e., Americans who were formerly incarcerated and/or convicted of a felony. Activist and returning citizen Meade stood at the center of that effort. In Let My People Vote, Meade tells how he struggled with drug addiction, homelessness, and the carceral state before realizing that he was called to help his fellow citizens. After attending college and law school, Meade became involved in voting activism and was elected president of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition. Under his direction, the FRRC built up capacity, refined their messaging, and raised awareness and support for their mission. The ballot victory in the 2018 election was the culmination of many years' hard work, and Meade speaks with affection and admiration of the many allies who made it possible. Though an epilogue acknowledges the political efforts to hollow out the rights of returning citizens, this is nevertheless a moving and triumphant story of how ordinary citizens can make a difference.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)