老澳门开奖结果

Martin Luther King Jr. called Rev. C.T. Vivian 鈥渢he greatest preacher to ever live,鈥� and Vivian鈥檚 life work reflects that. One of the civil rights movement鈥檚 most respected figures, Vivian organized the voting-rights marches in Selma, Alabama, in 1965 and led efforts to register African-American voters. But Rev. C.T. Vivian wasn鈥檛 only a chief architect of the civil rights movement 鈥� he put his body on the line for the right to vote.

During one of the most infamous exchanges of the civil rights movement, Vivian Dallas County Sheriff Jim Clark and his deputies on the steps of Selma鈥檚 court house as he attempted to register voters. After being punched in the face so hard by Clark that it knocked him off his feet, Vivian continued to nonviolently clash with police, shouting, 鈥淚f we鈥檙e wrong, why don鈥檛 you arrest us? 鈥�. We鈥檙e willing to be beaten for democracy.鈥� This event was a prelude to the violence that would unfold only weeks later at the Selma marches.

Today Congress is honoring Vivian and the foot soldiers of the Bloody Sunday, Turnaround Tuesday, and Selma to Montgomery marches by awarding them the , the highest civilian honor that Congress can bestow. This prestigious award will be given at a bipartisan attended by the leaders of both parties in Congress. But while the Bloody Sunday Marchers are most deserving of this highest recognition, honors by Congress are not enough. If legislators truly want to memorialize the sacrifice and contributions of these heroic individuals, they must do so by restoring the Voting Rights Act, the very law that the marchers endured violence to pass 51 years ago. For too long, many lawmakers have only paid lip service to protecting voting rights, instead of supporting and moving actual legislation 鈥� like the 鈥攖hat would restore the protections of the Voting Rights Act.

Without congressional action, we will have the first presidential election in more than 50 years without the VRA鈥檚 full protections. Widespread voting discrimination doesn鈥檛 only exist; it has flourished since the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder. States and local jurisdictions have wasted no time implementing barriers to voting in , North Carolina, Wisconsin, Alabama, and Ohio. As we approach November, we can expect these efforts to multiply and intensify. And without the full protections of the Voting Rights Act, it is likely that those changes will not be detected and stopped until after they have deprived individuals of their right to vote and participate in the most fundamental part of American democracy.

(R-Wis.), who will be among those present to award the Congressional Gold Medals, has expressed his support for but has skirted responsibility for moving a bill. Instead, he has left it to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), who, along with his Senate counterpart Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), has to address modern-day voting discrimination 鈥� despite ample evidence that discrimination persists.

While the 老澳门开奖结果 joins Congress in honoring the Bloody Sunday Marchers, praise without action on the Voting Rights Act rings hollow. Every member of the House and Senate must act to respect the Bloody Sunday Marchers鈥� legacy by co-sponsoring the bipartisan and urging congressional leadership to move the bill forward. In the words of Rev. C.T. Vivian, 鈥淭he way to truly honor sacrifice is to restore the Voting Rights Act.鈥�