[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 20 (Thursday, February 5, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E170-E171]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, February 2, 2015

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey, 
Congressman Donald Payne, Jr., and the gentlewoman from Illinois, 
Congresswoman Robin

[[Page E171]]

Kelly, for organizing this important Special Order on the legacy of the 
events at Selma, Alabama.
  As Ava DuVarney's Oscar-nominated film ``Selma'' continues to foster 
discussion about the history of the Civil Rights Movement and bring the 
horrific events of ``Bloody Sunday'' to life for a new generation, I 
believe there is no better time to reflect on our journey, both past 
and ahead.
  The march from Selma to Montgomery stands out as one of the defining 
moments of the Civil Rights Movement in the 20th century. The images 
are seared into the minds of Americans, and serve as a constant 
reminder of the violence and injustice that our predecessors faced as 
they strove for equal representation.
  Violence that claimed the life of Jimmy Lee Jackson, beaten by state 
troopers as he tried to protect his mother and grandmother. His death 
was a catalyst that ignited the community and inspired the march.
  Violence that claimed the lives of Reverend James Reeb of Boston and 
Viola Liuzzo of Detroit, who had journeyed to Selma to join the 
protests after the events at Edmund Pettus Bridge on ``Bloody Sunday'' 
had been broadcast across America.
  In spite of all the violence, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his 
fellow protestors held their heads high and remained committed to their 
cause, a cause which touched people across the nation, so that when 
they reached Montgomery the crowd had swelled to 25,000 strong.
  The actions of those brave men and women were a shout to the world 
that injustice and oppression would no longer be tolerated. Their 
struggles ensured that the blood that was shed, the lives that were 
lost were not in vain.
  The very next week, President Lyndon Johnson announced to the nation 
that he would put legislation before Congress to eliminate barriers to 
the right to vote.
  We have made great strides towards equality and towards justice since 
those tumultuous events in Selma, Alabama.
  We are honored today to serve alongside Rep. John Lewis, who 
experienced firsthand that fight for rights and representation.
  This congress counts 44 black members among its number, and thanks to 
the Voting Rights Act of 1965, millions of African-Americans can 
proudly cast their votes and make their voices heard.
  But our work is far from done. The dreams of Dr. King and of all 
those who gave their lives in the struggle for civil rights are not 
behind us. They are ahead.
  In the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling which severely crippled the 
Voting Rights Act, states across our nation enacted legislation 
designed to limit the ability of women, the elderly, African-Americans 
to exercise their right to vote.
  In Texas alone, new voter ID laws are estimated to have prevented or 
deterred as many as 600,000 citizens from registering to vote in 2014.
  Such an act is a direct affront to all those who participated in the 
march to Montgomery, as well as anyone who values the principles of 
true democracy.
  It was exactly these principles that motivated 13 students from Texas 
Southern University to stage a sit-in in Houston 55 years ago in 
pursuit of desegregation.
  Their actions remind us of that guiding ideal that no action is too 
small, too local to affect change in our society.
  The Voting Rights Act is one of the most important pieces of 
legislation in American history, and it represents not only the hope, 
but also the blood and tears of millions of Americans.
  We must work, through legislation like the Voting Rights Amendments 
Act of 2014, to strengthen it and protect the achievements of Dr. King, 
Ralph Abernathy, Andrew Young, Hosea Williams, and all those who made 
securing the right to vote for African-Americans their life's work.
  The freedom to vote is not the only freedom for which we must 
continue to fight. Across America, our communities struggle for their 
economic freedom, for the right to opportunity and to financial 
security.
  In 2014, black unemployment was twice that of white Americans, and 
they are more than twice as likely to live in poverty.
  Median income for a black household was $33,764, a mere 60% of median 
income for a white household.
  For these reasons, I will continue to advocate for legislation to 
benefit the working class, to benefit those members of our community 
who continue to struggle with unemployment and underemployment.
  We need legislation that creates new jobs, and legislation that 
provides our citizens with the training that they need to break the 
cycle of unemployment.
  We must understand that the minimum wage is not a living wage, and 
that, without action, we are condemning those with minimum wage jobs to 
a lifetime of hardship.
  Thank you again for this opportunity to speak, and for bringing these 
issues to the forefront of the conversation.
  As we move forward with our work, let us remember the lessons of 
Selma, of the past. Let them serve as our inspiration and strengthen 
our resolve as we look to the future and continue our efforts to 
protect the freedoms and opportunities of the American people.
  Tonight I call upon all people of good will, those who Dr. King 
called the Beloved Community, to join hands and march toward an agenda 
of healing, justice and equality in commemoration of those historic 
events.
  We march to preserve equality at the voting booth. We march to bring 
an end to systemic poverty and disenfranchisement. We march because we 
believe that all lives matter, and that this truth makes our country 
great.

                          ____________________