Dear MoveOn member,
Tomorrow marks the 35th celebration of Martin Luther King Day—and this year it is taking place in the midst of a generational fight to protect what Dr. King fought so hard for: the right to vote.
To honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy and as a public call for our elected officials to protect the sacred right to vote, MoveOn has just printed a big batch of these "Give Us the Ballot, Give Us Our Basic Rights" stickers featuring Dr. King, and we're giving them away for free while supplies last.
Just click here or on the image below to order your free sticker now.
The quote on the sticker comes from a speech given by Dr. King in 1957 that has proven to be prescient for this moment in our nation's history.
Dr. King gave the speech at a rally in Washington, D.C., called by civil rights leaders to demand that the federal government take action to enforce the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education from three years prior, which famously declared that separate was not equal under the law.
In his speech, Dr. King called out the "conniving methods" states were using to defy the ruling and keep people of color from registering to vote by passing voter suppression laws.1
He called out the president and executive branch for being "all too silent and apathetic" about the growing attacks in the states.2
And he made it clear that the blame did not lie with one party alone, but that both parties had capitulated to the prejudices and hypocrisy of the racists and bigots within their ranks, allowing them to control the agenda and stop progress.3
Sound familiar?
John, while it's infuriating to see this part of our nation's history repeating itself, let us take this moment to be inspired by what happened next: a massive grassroots movement led by Dr. King and others that changed the course of our history.
We have another such opportunity now, and we must seize it—together.
MoveOn members and our allies are already stepping up to meet the challenge—flooding Congress with phone calls and letters, joining events in Arizona and West Virginia to call on Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin to stand up for their constituents, and preparing to join the all-out effort to elect voting rights champions like Stacey Abrams this November.
Thanks for all you do.
–Kelly, Emma, Amanda, Isbah, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "'Give Us the Ballot,' Address Delivered at the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom," The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute, accessed January 14, 2022
https://act.moveon.org/go/160074?t=5&akid=314830%2E40999114%2EdTU0Qe
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
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