Source: ELIJAH NOUVELAGE / Getty
Fifty-seven years after “Bloody Sunday,” the fight for voting rights continues. Each year people flock to Selma, Ala. to commemorate the brutal attack on March 7, 1965.
“Selma Marchers sacrificed everything when they braved the violence of #BloodySunday,” tweeted the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. “It’s in their honor that we cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge once again. Our democracy is sacred, and today it’s more important than ever that we stand up for justice.”
While many focus solely on the day known as “Bloody Sunday,” there was an entire history of grassroots organizing long before the nation turned its attention toward Selma. An organizing timeline on the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund’s website puts that work in context.
There were a series of marches and organizing efforts before the Selma to Montgomery marches, including a night march in Marion, Ala. Civil rights organizer Jimmy Lee Jackson was shot in the stomach by a state trooper and died a week later.
Jackson’s death is noted as being a catalyst for the Selma to Montgomery marches.
Sunday also marks the anniversary of the infamous Dred Scott Supreme Court decision. The case decided 165 years ago denied American citizenship to descendants of enslaved Africans. And even though Congress would go on to pass the 13th Amendment, Black people in this country have never experienced the full promise of the rights outlined in the Constitution.
Despite the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, along with the various civil rights acts, we still need to fight for basic measures of equity and justice. And the racist notion of “states rights” continues to undermine Black people’s access to the ballot box and threaten the general welfare and domestic tranquility.
Last month, the Supreme Court upheld an Alabama map that advocates say was created to dilute Black voting power.
Members of President Biden’s cabinet will join Vice President Kamala Harris at the annual event. In his statement, Biden called voting the “most fundamental” right. It remains to be seen how Biden and party leaders will mobilize in the coming midterm elections to expand the Senate majority and political will to take action on voting rights and other vital issues.
While the president remains committed to passing legislation to “protect the right to vote and uphold the integrity of our elections,” the political will in the Senate to remove barriers such as the filibuster remains lacking. Elected officials like Sen. Joe Manchin can wax poetically about taking action and protecting democracy abroad, but their lack of commitment to systemically disenfranchised voters is telling.
But the president says he will continue promoting voter participation through an executive order announced last fall, and where possible, the Department of Justice pursues enforcement actions.
The fight for equity and justice is not simply a cute photo op and moment of nostalgia. The bloodshed and lives lost coupled with the decades of attacks require action.
Advocates remain inspired by the legacy of civil rights organizers, including those lost in the past few years. As previously reported by NewsOne, groups like Black Voters Matter planned events around the Bloody Sunday commemoration but are calling for renewed attention to passing voting rights legislation.
“We should not still be fighting this fight – but we will if we have to because we who believe in freedom shall not rest until it comes,” Cliff Albright, BVM Co-founder and Executive Director, said in a statement.
SEE ALSO
‘Return To The Bridge’: Black Voters Matter To Mark Selma March Anniversary With Full Week Of Voting Rights Events
What The Supreme Court’s Alabama Redistricting Ruling Means For Black Voters, And The 2022 Midterm Elections
Brief Timeline Of Events Since Congressional Republicans Supported Reauthorizing The Voting Rights Act In 2006
Brief Timeline Of Events Since Congressional Republicans Supported Reauthorizing The Voting Rights Act In 2006
1. Senate Renews Voting Rights Act (2006)
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2. Bush Signs Reauthorization Of Voting Rights Act (2006)
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3. Barack Obama Elected President (2008)
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4. Citizens United Ruling (2010)
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5. State Voting Law Changes (2011)
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6. Supreme Court Hears Major Challenge To VRA (2013)
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7. Voting Rights Act Gutted (2013)
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8. Lawmakers Introduce Voting Rights Amendment Act (2014)
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9. Voting Rights Advancement Act (2015)
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10. First Election Without Full Protect Of The VRA (2016)
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11. North Carolina Gets Two Strikes For Voter ID Law And Racial Gerrymandering (2017)
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12. Rise Of Stacey Abrams And New Urgency Around Voting Rights (2018)
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13. Florida Voters Overwhelming Support Amendment 4 (2018)
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14. House Convenes Field Hearings On Voting Rights (2019)
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15. House Votes On Voting Rights Advancement Act (2019)
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16. Pandemic Primary Elections (2020)
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17. Increased Use Of Vote-By-Mail Despite Republican Opposition (2020)
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18. Georgia Voters Flip Two U.S. Senate Seats (2021)
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19. Black Voters Matter Leads Freedom Ride For Voting Rights (2021)
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20. State Legislators in D.C. for Voting Rights (2021)
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21. Students Go On Hunger Strike To Demand Passage Of Freedom To Vote Act (2021)
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22. President Joe Biden Steps Up Voting Rights Pressure (2022)
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Continue reading Brief Timeline Of Events Since Congressional Republicans Supported Reauthorizing The Voting Rights Act In 2006
Brief Timeline Of Events Since Congressional Republicans Supported Reauthorizing The Voting Rights Act In 2006
During the Martin Luther King Jr Holiday season, people give lip service to the civil rights icon’s life and legacy. This year is no exception, with a heated fight for voting rights that has been brewing since Republicans had a majority in the Senate. A defining moment and opportunity to come together in the spirit of one of the country’s leading moral voices, Congressional Republicans refuse to support any effort to restore the Voting Rights Act or create national standards. Last fall, Sen. Joe Manchin and Sen. Raphael Warnock and a small group of Democratic Senators reworked the For the People Act into the Freedom to Vote Act to bring some of their Republican colleagues on board. Manchin has been stuck on having voting rights legislation be a bipartisan effort. And yet, even the Republicans who worked with him on the bipartisan infrastructure bill would not budge on putting in place universal standards for all voters. Sixteen Republican Senators currently in office supported the Voting Rights Act when it was last reauthorized in 2006. Sen. Susan Collins was even a co-sponsor. “One of the most fundamental and significant rights afforded to American citizens is the right to vote. This right must not be hampered or denied to any citizen through discriminatory tactics,” said Senator Collins in a statement. “This bill will ensure that the voting rights afforded to all Americans are protected.” While Republicans pretend the current push to pass voting rights legislation is some baseless attempt to “usurp power,” it is a continuation of a long-term effort to restrict ballot access. Even before the 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision gutted some of the protections of the Voting Rights Act, states tried to enact laws limiting access. But after Shelby County, voting rights legislation has not been able to move forward until now. Republicans who supported subverting democracy in favor of Trump’s big lie about the 2020 election and virtually non-existent voter fraud are now trying to claim voting rights legislation as the alleged attack on democracy. Even the opposition to setting aside the filibuster to bring voting rights legislation to the Senate floor for debate and a vote is hypocritical. In 2017, Republicans used a filibuster rule change to move a Trump SCOTUS nominee forward. And most recently, in a rare move, Sen. Mitch McConnell cooperated with Sen. Chuck Schumer in a procedure to suspend the filibuster for a vote on the debt ceiling. As much as conservatives love to distort King’s quotes and legacy, they may want to heed his words on obstructing progress. During an interview in 1963, the elder King took the issue a particular Senate filibuster threat. Remembering King’s legacy, life and work should lead to heading all his words. “Please share this quote from my father through #MLKDay2022: ‘I think the tragedy is that we have a Congress with a Senate that has a minority of misguided senators who will use the filibuster to keep the majority of people from even voting.’ @LeaderMcConnell @SenatorSinema,” tweeted Dr. Bernice King. https://twitter.com/BerniceKing/status/1481865839557160960?s=20 The awakening after the 2016 and 2018 elections led to more public attention on the fight to protect voting rights and free and fair elections. And now in this defining moment in history, Senators have a choice to make. They can be on the side of Dr. King and the late Rep. John Lewis, another icon they love to name drop. Alternatively, they can be on the side of Bull Connor and other racists who fought hard to undermine free and fair access to the ballot. Continuing to shut down creating national standards makes it clear what side they are on. Almost 152 years since Black voting rights were established by the 15th Amendment, federal intervention to protect voting rights remains essential. Check out this brief timeline of some of the events that have occurred since Congressional Republicans last supported voting rights.
During the Martin Luther King Jr Holiday season, people give lip service to the civil rights icon’s life and legacy. This year is no exception, with a heated fight for voting rights that has been brewing since Republicans had a majority in the Senate. A defining moment and opportunity to come together in the spirit of one of the country’s leading moral voices, Congressional Republicans refuse to support any effort to restore the Voting Rights Act or create national standards. Last fall, Sen. Joe Manchin and Sen. Raphael Warnock and a small group of Democratic Senators reworked the For the People Act into the Freedom to Vote Act to bring some of their Republican colleagues on board. Manchin has been stuck on having voting rights legislation be a bipartisan effort. And yet, even the Republicans who worked with him on the bipartisan infrastructure bill would not budge on putting in place universal standards for all voters. Sixteen Republican Senators currently in office supported the Voting Rights Act when it was last reauthorized in 2006. Sen. Susan Collins was even a co-sponsor. “One of the most fundamental and significant rights afforded to American citizens is the right to vote. This right must not be hampered or denied to any citizen through discriminatory tactics,” said Senator Collins in a statement. “This bill will ensure that the voting rights afforded to all Americans are protected.” While Republicans pretend the current push to pass voting rights legislation is some baseless attempt to “usurp power,” it is a continuation of a long-term effort to restrict ballot access. Even before the 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision gutted some of the protections of the Voting Rights Act, states tried to enact laws limiting access. But after Shelby County, voting rights legislation has not been able to move forward until now. Republicans who supported subverting democracy in favor of Trump’s big lie about the 2020 election and virtually non-existent voter fraud are now trying to claim voting rights legislation as the alleged attack on democracy. Even the opposition to setting aside the filibuster to bring voting rights legislation to the Senate floor for debate and a vote is hypocritical. In 2017, Republicans used a filibuster rule change to move a Trump SCOTUS nominee forward. And most recently, in a rare move, Sen. Mitch McConnell cooperated with Sen. Chuck Schumer in a procedure to suspend the filibuster for a vote on the debt ceiling. As much as conservatives love to distort King’s quotes and legacy, they may want to heed his words on obstructing progress. During an interview in 1963, the elder King took the issue a particular Senate filibuster threat. Remembering King’s legacy, life and work should lead to heading all his words. “Please share this quote from my father through #MLKDay2022: ‘I think the tragedy is that we have a Congress with a Senate that has a minority of misguided senators who will use the filibuster to keep the majority of people from even voting.’ @LeaderMcConnell @SenatorSinema,” tweeted Dr. Bernice King. https://twitter.com/BerniceKing/status/1481865839557160960?s=20 The awakening after the 2016 and 2018 elections led to more public attention on the fight to protect voting rights and free and fair elections. And now in this defining moment in history, Senators have a choice to make. They can be on the side of Dr. King and the late Rep. John Lewis, another icon they love to name drop. Alternatively, they can be on the side of Bull Connor and other racists who fought hard to undermine free and fair access to the ballot. Continuing to shut down creating national standards makes it clear what side they are on. Almost 152 years since Black voting rights were established by the 15th Amendment, federal intervention to protect voting rights remains essential. Check out this brief timeline of some of the events that have occurred since Congressional Republicans last supported voting rights.
Annual ‘Bloody Sunday’ Commemoration Reminder Of The Stakes In Fight For Voting Rights And Democracy was originally published on newsone.com
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