Political Quotes

“today marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most important civil rights bills we have ever come together as a nation to pass: the Voting Rights Act of 1965. I am proud to commemorate this anniversary as the Senator for Maryland. Marylanders have a rich history of battling discrimination, going back to the darkest days of slavery. The brilliant Frederick Douglass was the voice of the voiceless in the struggle against slavery. The courageous Harriet Tubman delivered 300 slaves to freedom on her Underground Railroad. And the great Thurgood Marshall went from arguing Brown v. Board of Education to serving as a Supreme Court Justice. All were Marylanders. Not just Marylanders but civil rights leaders and activists from all over this country fought hard for the right to vote. Over 600 people marched from Selma to Montgomery. They were stopped and beaten but not defeated. These brave men and women continued to march, continued to fight until they got the right to vote. They had to challenge the establishment and to say ``now'' when others told them to ``wait''. Their fight and their struggle culminated in the passage of the Voting Rights Act. This legislation guaranteed one of our most important civil rights and reflected one of our most fundamental values: that all men and women have the right to vote. The struggle to truly fulfill this fundamental value--this fundamental right--is far from over.…”