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[Page S1623]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
55TH ANNIVERSARY OF ``BLOODY SUNDAY''
Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, this past weekend marked the 55th
anniversary of Bloody Sunday, one of the darkest moments in our
democracy. On March 7, 1965, Alabama law enforcement officers brutally
attacked hundreds of peaceful demonstrators marching from Selma to
Montgomery to demand full civil rights for African Americans. These
brave protesters put their safety and liberty on the line to build an
America that lives up to its ideals of freedom, justice, and equality.
It is thanks to their heroism--and the heroism of many civil rights
activists before and since--that our country has made great strides
towards those ideals. However, in order to fully honor their struggle,
we must also recognize that much of the hatred and discrimination which
they fought to root out persists, although perhaps in less overt or
easily recognized forms.
One of the strongest, most disheartening examples of this phenomenon
is the ongoing assault on the right of minorities to vote. This is not
ancient history. States all over the country continue to ``modernize''
strategies developed a century ago to suppress African-American voting
power. Some of these strategies are blatant and recognizable, like mass
purges of voter rolls; the gerrymandering of districts with ``surgical
precision,'' according to one court; and intimidation of voters of
color. Some of the strategies are disguised behind excuses or fear
tactics, like obstructive voter ID laws, felony disenfranchisement, and
closures of polling sites in heavily minority-populated areas.
So long as we allow these sorts of practices to continue, we are
denying American citizens the right to vote promised to them by our
Constitution, and we are undermining the integrity of our democracy.
This is a problem on principle, of course--until we guarantee the right
to vote regardless of race, we fall short of the unique promise and
potential of the United States of America. But it is also a problem for
broader practical reasons--when we exclude people from fully
participating in our democracy, we prevent them from achieving the
social, economic, and civic reforms they need to strengthen their
communities.
So, what are we going to do about that? I know what I will do: I will
fight for laws that will guarantee every American a voice in our
democracy. That is why I have introduced bills like the Democracy
Restoration Act, S.1068, to restore the Federal right to vote to ex-
offenders, and the Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation and
Suppression Act, S.1834, to penalize the voter suppression efforts so
frequently aimed at minority communities.
It is also why I am a fervent supporter of H.R. 4, the Voting Rights
Advancement Act. This bill, which was passed by the House of
Representatives at the end of last year, would remedy the Supreme
Court's 2013 decision decimating section 5 of the Voting Rights Act and
thereby strengthen our ability to prevent discriminatory changes to
State voting laws and procedures. I thank Senator Leahy for championing
this bill and call on Leader McConnell and Chairman Graham to urgently
bring H.R. 4 for consideration in Committee and in the Senate.
Let's honor all of those whose struggles for freedom and equality
throughout our Nation's history have been met with violence and hatred.
Let's carry on their torch and help make their dreams a reality. Let's
fulfill the right to vote.
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