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Pelosi: ‘Any Diminishment of the Voting Rights Act is a Diminishment of Our Democracy’
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Contact: Brendan Daly/Jennifer Crider, 202-226-7616
Washington, D.C. – House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi spoke on the House floor this afternoon in support of H.R. 9, the Voting Rights Act Reauthorization. Below are Pelosi’s remarks:
“Last August, I had the honor to march in Atlanta in recognition of the 40th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act joining, Congressman John Lewis, Reverend Jesse Jackson and so many others. I took with me the commitment of more than 200 House Democrats that we would vote 100 percent to reauthorize and strengthen this landmark legislation – and we stand by that same commitment today.
“In May, I was proud to join Speaker Hastert, Senators Reid and Frist to march down the steps of the Capitol and reaffirm our commitment to passing this legislation to strengthen and reauthorize the Voting Rights Act for another 25 years.
“Today, we have an opportunity and the privilege to honor that bipartisan commitment. In that spirit, I wish to acknowledge the steadfast leadership of Chairman Sensenbrenner. Mr. Conyers: I thank you for your leadership. And the extraordinary leadership of Congressman Mel Watt, Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus and a member of the Judiciary Committee, who helped cobble together this compromise with his persistent leadership. I also salute Congresswoman Grace Napolitano, Chair, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and Congressman Mike Honda, Chair, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus for their leadership.
“I am also privileged to acknowledge Congressman John Lewis, the conscience of the Congress. Voting rights and civil rights in America are possible because of his courage and personal sacrifice, and that of so many other brave Americans, who fought for the cause of freedom and justice. This was the epic moral struggle in our country—and it remains our moral imperative to remove obstacles to voting and representation for all.
“Among the other brave Americans are three extraordinary women. It is fitting that this legislation is named for Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott King, and Fannie Lou Hamer.
“These women were constant in their pursuit of Voting Rights. Rosa Parks ignited the Montgomery bus boycott. Fannie Lou Hamer electrified the 1964 Democratic Convention where she said, ‘I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired,’ and was successful in getting her African American delegates recognized at the convention. Coretta Scott King was the keeper of the flame and one of our nation’s greatest civil rights leaders in her own right.
“Forty years ago, in one of our nation’s finest hours, we came together to overcome bigotry and injustice and to secure the fundamental right to vote. With the passage of the Voting Rights Act, we said that we would no longer tolerate the many nefarious methods, such as poll taxes, literacy tests, grandfather clauses, and brutal violence that had been used to deny African Americans and other minority citizens the right to vote.
“Within months of the VRA’s passage, a quarter of a million new African American voters had been registered; a quarter of a million new voices that had been silenced could finally be heard. They, along with millions to follow, changed the world with a vision of justice, equality, and opportunity for all.
“We see its impact in these halls: 81 African American, Latino, Asian, and Native American Members. We all know that America is at its best when our remarkable diversity is represented in the halls of power.
“We also know that we still have a great distance to go in order to live up to our nation’s ideals of equality and opportunity. That is why the Voting Rights Act is still a necessity. And that is why any amendments to weaken it must be rejected.
“I urge Members to vote ‘no’ on changing pre-clearance provisions, diminishing language assistance, and shortening the authorization period. Make no mistake – the 10-year limitation on key VRA provisions seriously undermines its effectiveness.
“We are all familiar with Dr. Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, the march on Washington, nearly 40 years ago. One part of the speech that I love, that is not frequently quoted is, ‘We have come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all God’s children.’ Today, we must reject that gradualism by voting ‘no’ on making the reauthorization period 10 years.
“Any diminishment of the Voting Rights Act is a diminishment of our democracy. In America, the right to vote must never, ever be compromised. We must not rest until the expiring sections of the Voting Rights Act are strengthened and reauthorized. That is our solemn pledge and obligation.”
