María Elvira Salazar: “I rise to pay tribute to a piece of a landmark civil rights legislation on the occasion of its 40th Anniversary: the…”

“I rise to pay tribute to a piece of a landmark civil rights legislation on the occasion of its 40th Anniversary: the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Before the passage of the Voting Rights Act, African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and others were routinely prevented from voting. The various tactics used to impede and discourage people from registering to vote or turning out on election day ranged from literacy tests, poll taxes, and language barriers, to overt voter intimidation and harassment. On August 6, 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, America took a critical step forward in its quest for inclusiveness. Just a year earlier, President Johnson had signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, proclaiming that in America, We believe that all men are created equal, yet many are denied equal treatment. We believe that all men have certain unalienable rights, yet many Americans do not enjoy those rights. We believe that all men are entitled to the blessings of liberty, yet millions are being deprived of those blessings, not because of their own failures, but because of color of the skin. President Johnson knew then what we still recognize today. The enactment of both of these critical pieces of legislation was only one step in our country's journey to become an inclusive America where all its citizens enjoy the rights and protections guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. When he recalled this day, Dr.…”