Political Quotes

“As the Congressional Black Caucus has discussed this evening, voting rights are an issue that all Americans are entitled to, and we should be helping more voters to participate in our democracy, not creating laws that prevent or discourage anyone from voting. As my colleague just explained, the coanchor from New York (Mr. Jeffries), we have made tremendous progress in recent history in securing the right to vote for many minority communities. A fully free and democratic society is always a work in progress, and with each election we are reminded that we cannot rest. We must always come to the defense of voting rights, and we cannot be caught off guard or pretend that because time has passed that we do not need to continue to fight to safeguard our rights. Now, no successful social justice movement has secured freedom absent vigilance, and that's why we are here tonight--to defend a pillar of justice and democracy. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was approved by Congress to protect fundamental voting rights and to protect minority groups from disenfranchisement. After a series of violent attacks on civil rights leaders who were registering African Americans to vote, former President Lyndon B. Johnson sent draft legislation to Congress to protect voting rights, and it was signed into law soon thereafter. Since then, the Voting Rights Act has been one of the Nation's most effective civil rights laws and tools to combat discrimination and voting.…”