Political Quotes

“it is really with a deep sense of gratitude to Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott King and our great warrior, Congressman John Lewis, that I rise in support of the renewal of the Voting Rights Act. There is no way that I would be standing on this floor today as a Member of Congress had it not been for the bloodshed and the sacrifices and oftentimes the deaths of so many fighting for all Americans for their right to vote. And I vividly remember the days of Jim Crow and segregation and the insidious poll tax growing up in Texas. The humiliation and the discrimination and the degradation of African Americans will always be a scar on America's history. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed just 1 year after I graduated from high school. And unfortunately, we still need to renew these expiring provisions, and we shouldn't weaken any of the protections in this legislation. We still witness voter intimidation and voter suppression in our country. But I am reminded of the tremendous progress and the march to freedom and equality, but also of the unfinished business of America during the very powerful civil rights pilgrimages that some of us go on to Selma and to Birmingham and to Montgomery, Alabama. In memory of all of those who paid the supreme price for our democracy, let us pass this bill today and let's pass it on a bipartisan basis. ____________________”