[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 18108]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       EQUALITY FOR ALL AMERICANS

  (Ms. KELLY of Illinois asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a 
historic week. On Sunday, we celebrated Rosa Parks Day; Thursday, we 
observed the start of the Montgomery bus boycott; and Friday, we 
commemorate the 148th anniversary of the Thirteenth Amendment, which 
ended slavery.
  As we reflect on these historic events, we see how far our Nation has 
come in advancing equality for all Americans. However, recent actions 
like the Supreme Court's decision to gut the Voting Rights Act remind 
us that we have much more work ahead.
  Although I dream of a day that the Voting Rights Act is unnecessary, 
the truth is that voter discrimination and suppression live on today as 
ugly legacies of our past. In the past few years, many States have 
introduced legislation that would restrict access to a voting booth. 
These discriminatory actions prove that the protections in the Voting 
Rights Act are still necessities in our world today.
  So this week, as we remember the struggles and sacrifices made to 
ensure basic rights for all Americans, I urge my colleagues to continue 
fighting to ensure that no American is denied their right to vote.

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