[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 106 (Friday, July 29, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1684]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOHN LEWIS

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 28, 2005

  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, not so long ago, 40 years ago, in 
many parts of the American South, it was almost impossible for people 
of color to register to vote. Just 40 years ago, people of color had to 
pay a poll tax and pass a so-called literacy test in some States in the 
South. There were black men and women who were professors in colleges 
and universities, black lawyers and black doctors who were told that 
they could not read or write well enough to register to vote. People 
were turned away from the courthouse when they attempted to register. 
Some were jailed.
  Forty years ago, on March 7, 1965, about 600 black men and women, and 
a few young children attempted to peacefully march from Selma, Al, to 
Montgomery, to the State Capital, to dramatize to the world that people 
of color wanted to register to vote. And the world watched as we were 
met with night sticks, bull whips; we were trampled by horses and tear 
gassed.
  Eight days after what became known as Bloody Sunday, President 
Johnson came to this very Chamber and spoke to a joint session of 
Congress. He started off that speech on March 15, 1965 by saying: ``I 
speak tonight for the dignity of man and for the destiny of 
democracy.'' President Johnson went on to say: ``At times, history and 
fate come together to shape a turning point in a man's unending search 
for freedom. So it was more than a century ago at Lexington and at 
Concord. So it was at Appomattox. So it was last week in Selma, 
Alabama.''
  And during that speech, 40 years ago, President Johnson condemned the 
violence in Selma, and called on Congress to enact the Voting Rights 
Act. Echoing the words of the civil rights movement, he closed his 
speech by saying ``And we shall overcome.''
  Forty years ago, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act, and on August 
6, 1965, it was signed into law.
  Because of the action of Congress and the leadership of a President 
and the courage of hundreds and thousands of our citizens, we have 
witnessed a nonviolent revolution in America, a resolution of values, a 
revolution of ideas. The passage of the Voting Rights Act helped expand 
our democracy and open up our democracy to let in millions of our 
citizens.
  We still need to keep the voting rights act strong. The Voting Rights 
Act must be reauthorized. Not just reauthorized, it must be renewed and 
strengthened. The vote is the most powerful, nonviolent tool that our 
citizens have in a democratic society, and nothing, but nothing, should 
interfere with the right of every citizen to vote and have their vote 
count.
  Mr. Speaker, the history of the right to vote in America is a history 
of conflict, of struggling for the right to vote. Many people died 
trying to protect that right.
  For millions like me, the struggle for the right to vote is not mere 
history; it is experience. The experience of minorities today tells us 
that the struggle is not over and that the special provisions of the 
Voting Rights Act are still necessary.
  I am proud to be the sponsor of H. Con. Res. 216, a resolution 
commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, which I 
introduced with my colleagues from the Judiciary Committee, Mr. 
Sensenbrenner, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Chabot and Mr. Nadler. In that 
resolution, we pledge to ``advance the legacy of the Voting Rights Act 
of 1965 by ensuring the continued effectiveness of the Act to protect 
the voting rights of all Americans.''
  I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle to protect the voting rights of all Americans.
  Today we celebrate how far we have come. We celebrate the 40th 
anniversary of the Voting Rights Act.

                          ____________________