As an Endowed Professor of Political Science at Prairie View A&M University, Melanye Price ‘95, Ph.D., still remembers walking to Sunnyside Park in Houston with her mom as a child to watch her vote. She and her twin sister would get to go into the booth and even pull the little lever.
“I was raised in a household where we discussed politics and race all the time,” Price said. Growing up watching political debates, she has always been interested in how the government works. “Our guy almost never won,” but it taught her the true value of voting: “using your voice, no matter the outcome,” she said.
It was how she learned at a young age something that still holds today: “Nothing should ever stop you from participating in the democratic process.”
Price will never forget the first time she voted, for more than one reason. She was finally 19, and it was the 1992 presidential election. However, the experience was another lesson in the frailty of democracy.
“After having watched my mom vote as a child, I was super excited to vote for the first time,” she said. “But imagine my surprise when 19 of my fellow PV students were indicted for voter fraud! It was shocking and disheartening because, at the moment, we should have been encouraging young people to exercise their right to vote, but local officials were trying to take student rights away. I learned in real time how state and local officials actively tried to intimidate first-time voters.”
Charges against the “PV19” were eventually dismissed, but Price says she will never forget the rallies and marches that took place soon after when she learned about PVAMU’s legacy in the history of youth and Black voting rights. “I wondered why I did not learn this in class,” she added. “As an endowed professor of political science, I make sure our students know this history. Because of Prairie View A&M students, all college students across the nation get to vote where they attend college. Our students should know and celebrate this history.”