Washington, D.C. — This is a monumental week for voting rights. The Senate will hold a vote on a revised version of the For the People Act, which is doomed to fail unless Democrats eliminate the Jim Crow filibuster. Simultaneously, Texas state Democrats continue to call on Congress for help as one of the harshest voter suppression legislation in the country is being proposed in their state. Finally, the Census will deliver new data on August 12 that Republicans will use to gerrymander states across the country. 

Stephany Spaulding, Just Democracy Coalition Member and Founder of Truth and Conciliation, issued the following statement:

“Our democracy is on fire. While Republicans are proposing hundreds of voter suppression laws around the country, some Democrats insist Black and Brown activists must ‘out-organize’ the Jim Crow legislation. We already organized to win those Democrats their seats — we gave them the opportunity to fulfill their campaign promises to us. Now it’s up to Congress to do its job and eliminate the filibuster to pass voting rights legislation. 

We cannot give up on the fight for federal legislation and doom Black and Brown voters to an impossible task of out-organizing disenfranchisement. That’s why Just Democracy has joined the March On for Voting Rights, bringing together thousands of people in cities across the country on August 28th to demand Congress pass the For the People Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, and the Washington, D.C. Admission Act. National legislation is the only path forward and failure is not an option.”

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About Just Democracy

Just Democracy is an intersectional coalition with racial justice at its core — uplifting voices from all walks of American life that are too often left out of the conversation. The coalition is made up of over 40 Black and Brown-led organizations working across issue areas. It mobilizes thousands who know that advancing social and racial justice issues first requires bold structural democracy reform.

To speak with a Just Democracy spokesperson, please email press@justdemocracy.us