John,
Today marks the anniversary of the ratification of the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The amendment states:
“The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
This amendment established Black men's right to vote --
but we know all too well that this was far from reality.
Discriminatory practices like poll taxes, literacy tests, and violence were burdened on Black people at every turn.
151 years later, discrimination still thrives through voter suppression practices across the
entire country. Whether it's prolonged voting lines, a lack of access to voter registration tools, limitations of absentee voting, aggressive voter roll purges, or gerrymandering -- the fundamental promise of the 15th Amendment is still unmet.
This is why today, on this anniversary, we are announcing our full support of H.R. 1, the For The People Act.
H.R. 1 is a massive package of pro-democracy reforms that includes a large section on voting rights based on the late Rep. John Lewis's signature bill, the Voter Empowerment Act. H.R. 1 has sections on automatic voter registration, overcoming roadblocks like limited voting hours, restoring voting rights to formerly incarcerated people, expanding vote by mail and early voting, prohibiting voter roll purges and discriminatory voter ID laws, ending partisan gerrymandering...
and so much more. H.R. 1 passes key voting and electoral accountability provisions of the BREATHE Act and moves us closer to the world we imagined when we helped write the BREATHE Act.
Passing H.R. 1 is non-negotiable, especially when it comes to protecting and expanding our voting rights. Please sign the petition and urge your representatives to co-sponsor and pass this critical legislation >>
Protecting our right to vote can't wait, and it shouldn't have to. 151 years after the 15th Amendment ratification, 56 years after John Lewis nearly lost his life marching across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, we must continue to fight to protect and expand the right to vote for all of our communities.
In love and solidarity,
Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation
