Folks,
Over the weekend I had the opportunity to visit Selma, Alabama, ahead of the anniversary of what is now known as Bloody Sunday –
On this day in 1965, hundreds of people started the march from Selma to Montgomery to protest voter suppression in Black communities and the murder of civil rights leader, Jimmie Lee Jackson.
They made it as far as the Edmund Pettus Bridge – just six blocks from where they started – before state and local police officers began beating the peaceful protesters with clubs and assaulting them with tear gas, forcing them to turn back.
This is a dark anniversary in American history, but one worth remembering as we continue the fight for voting rights – assaults on voting rights are still taking place today and disproportionately affect voters of color.
As of December 2021,19 states had successfully enacted 34 laws restricting the right to vote. And last year alone, more than 440 voter suppression bills were introduced in 49 states.
Will you join me in reaffirming your commitment to the protection and expansion of voting rights by signing my petition calling on Congress to implement federal voting rights protections today? I need 500 of you to show your support.
The right to vote is one of the most sacred pillars of a democracy – without it, we have no right to call ourselves one.
In solidarity,
Sean
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