Tag Archives: Voting Rights Act

We Are Marching!

John Lewis MOW2013Today in Washington, DC we commemorated, celebrated and marched on the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington. The report is that tens of thousands of people were in attendance .  NAACP, Labor, Gay, Straight, Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, young and old alike were in attendance and marching to say, “we shall not be moved”. This is what the right-wing racist is terrified about. This is why they obstruct President Obama and subvert the federal government.  But I say, where there is unity, there is power, and the people are uniting to march and stand against injustice — racial profiling, stand your ground, stop and risk, income inequality and the list goes on. This is why we must march on, organize and fight the injustice of racism, classism and any other “ism” that seeks to divide and conquer Americans.

I was pleased to see so many different ethnic groups and cultures coming together to embrace the ideals of the Civil Rights Movement and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King. Just like Barack Obama, the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King has galvanized all kinds of people from many walks of life. Many speakers brought words of exhortation and challenge today. I encourage each of you to find your passion and put your heart and soul into it. I am increasingly burdened by the vicious attacks on voting rights in America as well as the injustice system that continues to incarcerate so many African-Americans. We are 13% of the population yet 44% of the prison population. I will be using this space to focus on those two key issues.

It is utterly appalling and disingenuous to speak of liberty and freedom yet work to subvert and undermine Democracy when the outcome of an election is not to one’s liking. This is essentially what the Republican Party is doing.  Because the Republican Party is pissed that a black man is President of the United States, they seek to delegitimize him. This modern Republican Party is nothing more than former Dixiecrats who were, in recent history, blatant white supremacist bigots who sought to stop black people from voting and receiving basic civil and even human rights.

Well, the Supreme Court under the corrupt leadership of John Roberts, has found a way to undermine the Voting Rights Act (VRA) by striking down Section 4.  I refuse to salute JR as a Justice. He is a racist and works to revive, establish and underpin Jim Crow law. Since the attack on the VRA by the Supreme Court, several southern states, with great haste, are pushing legislation to make it harder for people to vote and aiming these obstacles squarely at black and brown, young and old specifically. All that they do to hinder will backfire because the people are not deceived by these malicious GOP tactics. We will do what we must to register to vote and to acquire official government identification. All that they are doing will simply piss us off so that we will turn out to vote in not only the general, Presidential elections, but in mid-term elections and in primaries. Declare your Party, register to vote, acquire your government sanctioned ID. Help someone to do the same or help pay for them to get their identification. The haters will not win.

L. Jackson/08.24.2013

CBC Reacts to VRA Decision

BurnVRA

The Congressional Black Caucus Chairperson, Marcia Fudge reacts to the Supreme Court decision on the Voting Rights Act. I share Representative Fudge’s outrage and disgust at this racist decision perpetuated by the so-called high court. When Sarah Palin declared that it was time to “take the country back”, this is exactly what she meant. This decision from the Supreme Court is probably more than these hoods could have ever hoped. I only hope that people born after desegregation in this country see this decision as the wake up call that it is. Do not take for granted that the rights you have today will always be. We must ensure that the rights that we have gained through blood, sweat and tears are not lost, and that we further build upon and solidify those rights. There will always be hateful people who want nothing more than to control and subjugate people of color. Let’s not allow these haters to win. Do what you must to ensure that you have what you need to VOTE these haters out of office so they can never again nominate anything like a John Roberts, Antonin Scalia or Clarence “Thom”as.

The Gutting of the Voting Rights Act

If I were a tennis player, which I am not, and I had to score a match between the United States Supreme Court vs the American people, I would score it “50 No Love”. No, that is not a valid tennis score, but this week’s decision by the Supreme Court to cut out the heart of the Voting Rights Act is also an invalid score for bigotry, and it is utterly contemptible! There ain’t no love in it. Since the election and reelection of Barack Hussein Obama the racist and fascist elements of the United States have villified, demonized, obstructed, resisted, rebelled, practiced sedition, fabricated scandal, threatened impeachment, secession and physical ill will against our black President.

I can hear the conversation now, it probably went something like, “We must never again allow a black president to be elected. We gotta kill the Voting Rights Act! John Roberts is just the man for the job.” That probable conversation was neither videotaped nor recorded, but hope springs eternal that some whistle-blower was in proximity. Unfortunately, the John Roberts Supreme Court has proven to be all that it can be, disgustingly partisan, demonstrating judicial activism, and according to Justice Ginsberg, hubris. From the Citizens United decision to the VRA. The SCOTUS may have won this game for fascist-loving, right-wing Republicans and Tea Party bigots, but they will not win this match. You can read all about this recent SCOTUS travesty at The Grio.

This is the wake up call of our time. I challenge all Americans, but especially marginalized disenfranchised, neglected and poor people like never before to do what you must to vote. Get your documents in order now in preparation for 2014. Unjust laws and impediments are being crafted already, especially in Southern states, making it harder for people to vote. We must not be deterred. Do what you must and vote!

Supreme Court to weigh ongoing validity of voting rights law

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Supreme Court on Wednesday [02.27.2013] will consider whether to strike down a key provision of a federal law designed to protect minority voters.

During the one-hour oral argument, the nine justices will hear the claim made by officials from Shelby County, Alabama, that Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act is no longer needed.

The key issue is whether Congress has the authority under the 15th Amendment, which gave African Americans the right to vote, to require some states, mainly in the South, to show that any proposed election-law change would not discriminate against minority voters.

Conservative activists and local officials in some jurisdictions covered by the provision have long complained about it, saying that it is an unacceptable infringement on state sovereignty.

Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow with the conservative Heritage Foundation who formerly worked in the Justice Department’s civil rights division, said that the “terrible history” that warranted Section 5’s intrusion on state authority was over.

Desiline VictorSo let’s ask Ms. Desilene Victor a 102 year old Florida voter if that “terrible history” is over. It took Ms. Desilene six hours to vote during the 2012 Presidential Election. A bill has been introduced by Florida State Senator Oscar Braynon.

Senator Braynon’s bill–SB 888 or Desiline’s Free and Fair Democracy Act–hopes to “modernize the state’s voting system and enshrine the right to vote into state law,” according to an Advancement Project press release.

Will the Supreme Court Dismantle the Voting Rights Act?

LBJ_VRA

The Fifteenth Amendment assigns Congress — not the Supreme Court — the responsibility of ensuring that no citizens are denied their right to vote. Section 5 has faced at least two constitutional challenges in the past, and survived both of them.

Read the full article by Raul A. Reyes, Attorney; USA Today Columnist at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/raul-a-reyes/voting-rights-act_b_2194360.html

The Voting Rights Act of 1965: http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/intro/intro_b.php