For Immediate Release
January 20, 2022
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COLOR OF CHANGE: SENATE DEMOCRATS’ FAILURE TO ADVANCE VOTING RIGHTS LEGISLATION IS AN ASSAULT ON CIVIL RIGHTS
Scott Roberts, senior director of criminal justice and democracy campaigns at Color Of Change, issued the following statement following the Senate’s vote on voting rights legislation:
“The Senators who voted against the advancement of the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act sent a clear message: they will stop at nothing to strip political power from Black voters. The Senate’s failure to advance critical voting rights legislation not only enables states to continue restricting access to the ballot but is an assault on the constitutional and civil rights of Black people. No progressive piece of legislation — and no progress in this country — could have happened without Black voters, yet, we are constantly fighting for our right to vote. Our hard fought gains in this country happen only when Black people vote fully, fairly, and freely. We need to protect our democracy in order to move our country forward, not backward.
“The ongoing failure to address the nationwide voter suppression campaign is part of a system-wide attempt of elected officials to subvert Black voters. For decades, elected officials –– particularly Republicans and their enablers –– have used every tool in their toolbox to undermine voting rights and stall racial progress from voting restrictions to anti-protest bills. Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema’s obstructionist politics gridlocked Senate rules changes and prevented the bills from getting past the filibuster. It is clear that they are more committed to preserving the Jim Crow filibuster, a tool with a racist history of delaying and preventing civil rights protections, than to their own constituents. We know that this racist tactic will continue to be weaponized and erode social, economic, racial justice.
“We are not going to stop fighting until Black voters’ right to participate in democracy are protected. We’re calling on Senate Democrats to use every tool in their power to safeguard our democracy by reforming the filibuster and passing voting rights protection. President Joe Biden must also address Senators Manchin and Sinema and put the full weight of his office to push legislators and advance racial justice.”
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Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by over 7 million members, we move decision-makers in corporations and governments to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America. Visit www.colorofchange.org