Civil Rights Leaders Join Together to Push for the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act

Civil Rights Leaders Join Together to Push for the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act

Access a recording of yesterda's press conference HERE  

WASHINGTON — As our nation prepares to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, civil rights leaders, joined by Rep. Terri Sewell, D. Ala., showed their support for yesterday's reintroduction of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. This legislation is critical to restoring and strengthening the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and ensuring that every voter has equal access to the ballot. As the right to vote faces unprecedented threats, it is imperative for Congress to act.

As we commemorate the legacy of John Lewis and the sacrifices of those who marched for voting rights, participants on the call urged Congress to take action to protect our vote. Passing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act is the first step in ensuring every voice is heard and every vote is counted.

Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said: “Voting is the foundation of our democracy. It’s how we choose our leaders, and it’s also how we fire them if they lie to us, steal from us, or just plain ignore our needs. We can shape demands and be heard when we show up. It’s the freedom that allows us to shape our future. As we face escalating attacks on our rights, on funding for our schools, on controlling the cost of prescriptions and making sure women can survive pregnancy, there are politicians who want to make it harder to vote so that it’s harder to fire them. They particularly target communities of color and low-income voters, but we have leaders who lead for all of us. We applaud Rep. Sewell and the congressional leaders who are introducing proven pro-voter solutions. We need the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act today. The John R. Lewis VRAA is a vital step in restoring the protections needed to ensure everyone has an equal voice in our democracy. As we approach the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, we must honor John Lewis’s legacy by defending the power of our communities to make the decisions that shape their lives.”

You can access a recording of the press conference here. The speakers and participating organizations are listed below:  

• Maya Wiley, president and CEO, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
• Rep. Terri Sewell, congresswoman representing AL-07
• Todd Cox, associate director-counsel, NAACP Legal Defense Fund
• Virginia Kase Solomon, president & CEO, Common Cause
• John Yang, president & executive director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC
• Damon T. Hewitt, president & executive director, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
• Melanie Campbell, president & CEO, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation
• Celina Stewart, CEO, League of Women Voters of the US
• Marlene Sallo, executive director, National Disability Rights Network
• Fred Redmond, secretary-treasurer, AFL-CIO
• Sheila Katz, CEO, National Council of Jewish Women
• Joan Neal, interim executive director, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice 
• Sakira Cook, federal policy director, Southern Poverty Law Center 
• Jalisa Giles, campaign coordinator, Declaration for American Democracy (DFAD)
• Adriel Cepeda Derieux, deputy director, ACLU Voting Rights Project 

More than 140 civil rights and democracy organizations showed their support for the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act in the 119th Congress. Learn more here.