The late Rosa Parks is known as the mother of the civil rights movement. Her life's legacy is that single defiant act of being arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a city bus.
One Orlando man is reflecting on his own arrest that now has him leading a new movement, which is one that could also impact millions.
- Desmond Meade is fighting for felon voting rights
- Meade served 3 years in prison and later went to law school
- Led effort to get Amendment 4 on ballot in November
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“One day I was sitting down looking at the folks that was filing past her casket, paying last respects and seeing so many people with tears in their eyes, and something just came over me," said activist Desmond Meade.
Meade was in the depth of his despair going through drug treatment at the time. He said he experienced an awakening watching the solemn tribute in her honor.
"Because of my drug addiction I was reduced to living like an animal in the streets. I was homeless for quite a number of years," he said.
In the darkness and disappointment that he was going through, Meade said he actually considered stepping out in front of a moving train to end his life.
"If I would have died, how many people would have come to my funeral? The immediate answer at least is was that no one would have come,” he added.
Watching people pay their respects to Rosa Parks, the first woman to lie in honor in the rotunda of our nation's capital, Meade realized he needed to live his life and take advantage of his second chance.
"I jumped up screaming at the television set saying that's it!” Meade exclaimed.
Meade put his plan in action. He finished drug treatment and then enrolled in paralegal studies. He earned his bachelor’s degree before going on to law school, all the while wondering each day if his past would come back to haunt him.
"Throughout my four years in undergrad, I think only twice I didn't get an A in my class, and part of that motivation was I expected that any day that someone was going to come and tap me on my shoulder and say, ‘hey you're not supposed to be here,’” he said.
Meade graduated. Relying on his faith, he made a promise to help others like him get their second chance.
"It was at that moment that I made a very firm commitment to dedicate my life to make my community, my state, to make this country a much better place for everyone to live,” he said.
Rallying for voting rights
Florida is only a handful of states that doesn’t automatically restore convicted felons right to vote. Meade is trying to change that.
He led an effort to collect thousands of signatures to get Amendment 4 on the ballot in November.
"There are a lot of people that really look at this movement as the modern age civil rights movement - and it's about civil rights restoration at its core,” Meade said.
Meade, who served about three years in prison after a 2001 conviction for firearm possession, has a law degree, a wife and a family. He pays taxes but still can’t vote. The current process to restore your rights can take as long as ten years.
"But according to the state of Florida I do not deserve to have my voice heard and so there's a problem there,” he said.
This is a problem Meade wants to see corrected.
"A more inclusive democracy is a more vibrant democracy and a more vibrant democracy is good for everyone," he added.
The father of five no longer focuses on funerals but instead on how the lives of nearly 1.5 million former felons could change by having their voting rights restored.
The measure headed to the ballot would need to be approved by 60 percent of voters to pass and would automatically restore voting rights for most felons who've served out their sentences, except for convicted murderers or those convicted of a felony sexual offense.