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A Story Oprah Wants You to Remember on Election Day

Aired on 10/24/1998 | CC tv-pg
In 1988, shortly before the presidential election between George H.W. Bush and Michael Dukakis, Oprah invited a group of voters (and some non-voters) to open up about their political beliefs. Here, Oprah confronts two guests—both Black women—about their decision to sit out the election. "As Black people, I just find it difficult to believe that you're not going to vote for somebody since so many of our people died for the right to vote," Oprah says. She then shares the story of a Black man who attempted to vote for the first time in Georgia, only to be repeatedly turned away by poll workers, as a reminder for why we must honor our civic duty.