WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today at 3:30 pm ET, Senator Patrick Leahy introduced a revision of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act. The bill will help prevent states from enforcing discriminatory voting laws — laws that disproportionately impact Black and Brown communities across the country. 

Stephany Spaulding, Spokesperson for Just Democracy and Founder of Truth and Conciliation, issued the following statement in response:

“With hundreds of discriminatory, anti-voting bills spreading like wildfire in nearly every state across the country, Senate Democrats must act urgently to eliminate the filibuster and pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. 

Hundreds of thousands marched in 1963 to call for civil and voting rights and decades later, we’re still marching and calling for the restoration of bills and protections our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents risked their lives to secure. Enough is enough — we won’t wait any longer. If Senate Democrats do not step up and remove the filibuster, history will remember that they failed to protect and expand access to our democracy.” 

 

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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.

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