Political Quotes

“Mr. President, this past weekend marked the 55th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, one of the darkest moments in our democracy. On March 7, 1965, Alabama law enforcement officers brutally attacked hundreds of peaceful demonstrators marching from Selma to Montgomery to demand full civil rights for African Americans. These brave protesters put their safety and liberty on the line to build an America that lives up to its ideals of freedom, justice, and equality. It is thanks to their heroism--and the heroism of many civil rights activists before and since--that our country has made great strides towards those ideals. However, in order to fully honor their struggle, we must also recognize that much of the hatred and discrimination which they fought to root out persists, although perhaps in less overt or easily recognized forms. One of the strongest, most disheartening examples of this phenomenon is the ongoing assault on the right of minorities to vote. This is not ancient history. States all over the country continue to ``modernize'' strategies developed a century ago to suppress African-American voting power. Some of these strategies are blatant and recognizable, like mass purges of voter rolls; the gerrymandering of districts with ``surgical precision,'' according to one court; and intimidation of voters of color.…”