Today marks 58 years since President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law -- one of the most important pieces of legislation in our nation's history.

The most fundamental right of our citizenship is the right to vote, and the Voting Rights Act guaranteed that right for all Americans, prohibiting racial discrimination in voting. The impact was immediate: It’s estimated that in the five years after the law was passed, almost as many Black Americans registered to vote in some southern states as in the 100 years before the law was passed.

Today, we reflect on that impact, and on the work of the generations before us who made this landmark legislation possible. But today we also recommit to the fights ahead, because our fight to protect, strengthen, and expand the freedom to vote continues.

In the last few years, we’ve witnessed a flurry of anti-voter legislation in states across the country, even making it illegal to give people food and water who are in line to vote. Make no mistake, these laws are designed to make it harder for people to cast their votes and to have their say in our democracy.

Make no mistake: We will keep fighting back, and we’ll keep working to make sure everyone who wants to make their voice heard has the opportunity to do so.

That’s why I’m hoping you’ll join our team for our Summer Training Academy, which starts on August 12. This is an important opportunity to learn how to make an impact locally in your community and across the country, as we look ahead to 2024:

Generations of Americans have fought to strengthen and expand freedoms in our country -- they’ve done it through organizing, through connecting with people in their communities and beyond, and working together to make a difference.

Now, it’s up to us to continue that work. The fight for our rights must be fought and won with each generation.

Thanks,

Kamala

Kamala Harris
Vice President of the United States