[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 26 (Friday, February 12, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H804]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          BLACK HISTORY MONTH

  (Mr. KENNEDY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, this Black History Month, as we celebrate 
and honor those who shaped American history, we cannot afford to lose 
sight of the present and our future.
  It was only five decades ago that men and women in every corner of 
this country concluded their patient, persistent, and peaceful march to 
the voting booth, gaining an equal voice in this country.
  You don't have to leave this Chamber to see firsthand the scars that 
this march left behind. For so many, including some of our colleagues, 
the memories of being denied that sacred right to vote have never and 
will never fade.
  Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, some of those similar memories are now 
forming again for a new generation of Americans.
  Respectfully, Mr. Speaker, I ask you to bring the Voting Rights 
Amendment Act to the floor immediately. Our Nation deserves a vote on 
this important legislation.

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