WASHINGTON, D.C — In a recent interview with The Atlantic’s Isaac Dovere, Senator Cory Booker signaled his openness to eliminating the legislative filibuster in the United States Senate, saying: 

“I don’t think I can effectively make that argument of why we should preserve the filibuster at this moment in history, days before we see a decision being made that could so hurt voting rights and health care and LGBTQ rights and women’s access to reproductive care and abortion care. What I would rather do is just make a commitment that after this election’s over, should we be in the majority, I will hopefully be a part of leading an effort to find a way to right these wrongs and to balance the scales of justice, so to speak.” 

In response to Senator Booker’s comments, Dr. Magdala Cherry, D.O., M.B.S. from Not Just a Black Body and member of the Just Democracy coalition issued the following statement: 

“We appreciate Senator Booker’s recent comments in support of eliminating the filibuster, an arcane procedural rule that actively stands in the way of affirming the rights of Black and Brown Americans. For a century and a half, the filibuster has been used to deny Black and Brown people their rights. We have an opportunity in 2021 to codify substantial progress in Congress on health care for New Jerseyans, provide much needed COVID relief to New Jersey families — particularly the Black and Brown families thus far left behind in this pandemic — and pass the bills that Senator Booker has proposed and supported that would make our state so great. But none of it happens while a minority of senators across the country are able to halt progress for our communities.”

Just Democracy will continue to work as a coalition to spread the word about our efforts to pursue structural democracy reforms.

 

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 30 progressive organizations and counting, 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.

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