John,
Today, March 25, marks the final day of the Selma to Montgomery marches 58 years ago. The courage and impact of the Americans who participated should not be understated. The resulting brutality and bloodshed, broadcast on national and international media, bolstered the campaign to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Fueled by a determination to exercise their right to vote and bring an end to segregation, civil rights leaders, political leaders in the Johnson Administration, and my esteemed colleague, John Lewis — who put his life on the line when he crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama on March 7, 1965 — took to the streets and helped make the Voting Rights Act a reality.
The 1965 Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March is one of the most seminal and pivotal events in America’s civil rights movement. Not only are the events of Bloody Sunday a vivid memory from the past, but also a stark reminder that it is up to all of us to protect our sacred right to vote for future generations.
Even if the days of poll taxes, literacy tests, and brutal physical intimidation are behind us, disenfranchisement tactics that aim to suppress voter participation are alive and well.
We must remember the lessons of the Civil Rights Movement: Inaction is complacency and complicity in the face of a wrong. Take action today, and add your name to call on Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.
Thank you,
Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr.
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