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The White House
50 Years Ago
Every year, I head back to the birthplace of a new America -- Selma,
Alabama -- where a determined struggle for voting rights transformed
our democracy 50 years ago.
On March 7, 1965, Hosea Williams and I led a band of silent witnesses,
600 nonviolent crusaders, intending to march 50 miles to Montgomery --
Alabama's capital -- to demonstrate the need for voting rights in
America.
At the foot of the bridge, we were met by Alabama state troopers who
trampled peaceful protestors with horses and shot tear gas into the
crowd. I was hit on the head with a nightstick and suffered a
concussion on the bridge.
I thought that was going to be my last demonstration. I thought I might
die that day.
John Lewis and other peaceful protestors clash with state troopers at
the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, March 7, 1965.
We knew the dangers that lay ahead, but we marched anyway hoping to
usher in a more fair society -- a place where every American would be
able to freely exercise their constitutional right to vote, and each of
us would have an equal voice in the democratic process.
We knew that standing up for our rights could be a death warrant. But
we felt it would be better to die than to live with injustice.
When President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law, it
was a great day. The Act made the ballot box immediately more
accessible to millions of Americans of every race, gender, region,
economic status, and national origin. It has been called the most
effective legislation of the last 50 years.
But just two years ago, the Supreme Court struck a blow at the heart of
the Voting Rights Act, nullifying a key provision that had curbed
discriminatory voting rules and statutes from becoming law. As soon as
the Court's decision was announced, states began implementing
restrictive voting laws.
While some states are changing laws to increase the number of Americans
who are able to participate in our democracy, by increasing early
voting days and making it easier for people to cast a ballot, far too
many states are passing new laws that make it harder and more difficult
to vote.
Early voting and voter registration drives have been restricted.
Same-day voting has been eliminated in some cases. Strict photo
identification laws have been adopted, and improper purges of the
voting rolls are negating access to thousands, perhaps millions, who
have voted for decades.
That's why people are still marching for this cause today. Even as we
speak, the NAACP is leading a 40-day, 40-night march from Selma to
Washington, D.C. in support of a number of issues, including the issue
of voting rights.
As citizens, it is our duty to make sure that our political process
remains open to every eligible voter, and that every citizen can freely
participate in the democratic process.
And when it comes time to get out and vote -- we have to do so. The
right to vote is the most powerful nonviolent, transformative tool we
have in a democracy, and the least we can do is take full advantage of
the opportunity to make our voices heard.
Despite the challenges, I am still hopeful -- but we must remain
determined. Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each and every
one of us, each generation, must do our part to help create a more
perfect union.
Keep marching on.
John Lewis
Member of Congress
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