Restoring the Voting Rights Act in Congressman John Lewis鈥� Memory
As we commemorate the 55th anniversary of the most effective civil rights legislation ever passed, I can鈥檛 think of a more meaningful way to honor the congressman鈥檚 legacy
When U.S. Rep. John Lewis led a congressional delegation to Montgomery, Alabama, last year, we were not expecting him to come inside the Civil Rights Memorial Center for a tour.
After giving a rousing speech in front of the Memorial 鈥撀燼s he had done so many times before 鈥撀爐he civil rights icon quietly entered the center behind it with other dignitaries. He explored the exhibits. He watched the short civil rights film in the theater. And he studied the pictures that grace the center of people who died in service of the movement.
As director of the聽Civil Rights Memorial Center, which is operated by the Southern Poverty Law Center, I had the honor of briefly speaking with Lewis during his visit.
The congressman from Georgia 鈥� who grew up not far from Montgomery in Troy, Alabama, said he was glad to experience the center because 鈥測ou never know when this will be my last time.鈥�
Sadly, it was.
As we continue to celebrate the extraordinary life of Congressman Lewis, who died July 17 at 80 years old, we remember the history of 鈥�Bloody Sunday鈥� 鈥� the courageous march that he led across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, in 1965 鈥� and the savage beating he and other activists endured there for the right to vote.
We remember how that violence along with the blood, sweat and tears of so many others in the movement led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which is widely recognized as the聽.
And as we commemorate the 55th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act today, I can鈥檛 think of a more meaningful way to honor Congressman Lewis鈥� legacy than for the Act 鈥� which has been weakened in recent years 鈥� to be fully restored in his name.
This would not only honor the congressman, it would also serve as a tribute to all those who died for the right to vote. And it would send a strong signal that it is high time for us to recommit ourselves to this country鈥檚 democratic ideals 鈥� chief among them that every citizen should have the right to vote, and that each and every vote must be counted.
The Voting Rights Act has provided millions of Black, Latinx, Asian American and Native American citizens who were previously denied suffrage with a more equitable opportunity to cast a ballot.
But today, the right to vote is in serious jeopardy.
Seven years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court鈥檚 聽decision gutted the landmark law. The ruling meant that states with histories of racial discrimination were no longer required to pre-clear changes in voting rules with the federal government before they went into effect.
As a result, there has been a blatant effort across several states to deny people 鈥� particularly communities of color, returning citizens and young people 鈥� their constitutional right to vote.
Shelby County v. Holder cleared the way for the voter suppression tactics we see today in the form of purging voter rolls, eliminating polling places, onerous voter ID laws, blocking rights restoration efforts, limiting access to voting by mail and scaling back early voting, among other measures.
The COVID-19 pandemic has only made matters worse, with additional obstacles from a lack of curbside voting and access to absentee ballots forcing voters in many states to choose between risking their health and asserting their constitutional rights.
The rising threat to nationwide suffrage on so many fronts is the reason why the 人兽性交, in partnership with the Community Foundation for聽Greater Atlanta, recently launched its Vote Your Voice initiative 鈥� a program investing up to $30 million in organizations across the Deep South that are working to conduct nonpartisan voter registration, education and mobilization activities over the next several election cycles.
Every citizen鈥檚 vote must be counted, and everyone鈥檚 voice must be heard. That鈥檚 true now more than ever with a presidential election less than 90 days away.
In his final op-ed that was published in soon after his death, Congressman Lewis made it clear that the right to vote is still under siege, 55 years after he took his fateful stand on that bridge.
鈥淭he vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society,鈥� he said in the op-ed. 鈥淵ou must use it because it is not guaranteed. You can lose it.鈥�
The congressman dedicated his entire life 鈥撀燼t great peril and sacrifice 鈥撀爁or the right to vote.
Now it鈥檚 our turn, and our responsibility, to exercise that right.
Lead photo by Stephen Poff.
