Voters Rights Efforts Mark Two Important Anniversaries This Week

Voters Rights Efforts Mark Two Important Anniversaries This Week

On the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, which helped spark Congressional action on the Voting Rights Act (VRA), the League of Women Voters also remembers the August 26, 1923 passage of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote. 

Yet, as we celebrate our nation’s progress toward equality, voting rights remain under attack across the country.  Earlier this summer the U.S. Supreme Court erased fundamental protections in the VRA against racial discrimination in voting that have been critical to protecting our democracy. The damage to the VRA can and must be fixed – Congress has the power to act swiftly to restore the effectiveness of the Voting Rights Act. 

League members and thousands of other activists converged at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC to mark the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. Speakers at the rally renewed the call to protect our voting rights and called on Congress to restore the VRA. Add your voices to those who rallied in Washington and tell Congress to work quickly to fix the Voting Rights Act.  Help the League of Women Voters mark these important anniversaries and continue the fight for voting rights for all citizens!

Encouraging full citizen participation in our democracy is only part of what your local League does.  Please visit our website http://lwvhp.org/  for more information on our local public policy studies and advocacy work.  Our calendar highlights upcoming meetings on local sustainability efforts and the Affordable Care Act.  We welcome your interest and involvement!

Barbara Lippai, President

League of Women Voters of Highland Park/Highwood