Rep. Corrine Brown: “I rise tonight to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. In 1962, only 5.3 percent of the voting-age…”

“I rise tonight to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. In 1962, only 5.3 percent of the voting-age black population was registered to vote in Mississippi. There were only 500 black elected officials in the entire country. The year I was elected to Congress was historic--especially for Florida. For the first time in over 120 years, an African-American represents my district in Congress. Representatives Carrie Meek and Alcee Hastings also represent Florida in Congress. The Congressional Black Caucus has grown to 40 members, the largest ever. Sixteen new African-American Members, most from the South, were seated in the House of Representatives and one African-American Senator, Carol Moseley-Braun, was seated, expanding the number of Congressional Black Caucus members to 40. There are now 57 women, 19 Hispanics, 8 Asians, and 1 American-Indian. This is the highest number of minorities to ever serve in the history of the U.S. Congress. Despite these gains, less than 2 percent of the elected officials in this country are black. We still need the Voting Rights Act, we still have a long way to go.”