President Joe Biden released a statement Sunday commemorating the 57th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday” and vowing to protect voting rights and election integrity in the U.S.
The day, which occurred March 7, 1965, saw white state troopers attacked Black voting rights marchers attempting to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to Selma where she will march and speak at the annual remembrance.
“On Sunday, March 7, 1965, time stopped and blood spilled as brave and righteous Americans sought to cross a bridge named after a Klansman in Selma, Alabama, to reach the other side of justice,” Biden’s statement said. “Led by the late John Lewis, they marched to secure their sacred right to vote. Their heroism was met by batons and tear gas. They were beaten, but not defeated. Their absolute courage forced America to look in the mirror and Congress to act. Soon after, President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965.”
Biden said that over time, the law’s strength weakened by “insidious court decisions,” as states today “propose or enact laws that make it harder to vote and have that vote counted — an onslaught of deeply dangerous efforts to suppress the vote and subvert entire elections.”
Biden said his administration will work to honor the “courageous Americans” by passing legislation to protect th right to vote and holding the integrity of U.S. elections, including the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act.
“My Administration will continue implementing my Executive Order to promote voter participation, increase access to the ballot, and rally the country to protect voting rights and election integrity,” the statement said. “Vice President Harris, marching in Selma today, will continue to lead this effort. The U.S. Justice Department has doubled its voting rights enforcement staff to stop discriminatory voting laws as the Voting Rights Act of 1965 empowered it to do. And I will continue to use every tool at my disposal to strengthen our democracy and keep alive the promise of America for all Americans.
“The battle for the soul of America has many fronts. The right to vote is the most fundamental.”
Other members of Biden’s administration attending the “Bloody Sunday” commemoration event include Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan.
The AP reports Biden used a portion of his State of the Union last week speech to renew his plea for Congress to take action. “The most fundamental right in America is the right to vote – and to have it counted. And it’s under assault,” he said. “In state after state, new laws have been passed, not only to suppress the vote, but to subvert entire elections.”
The legislation, called the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act, would restore the preclearance requirement and the put nationwide standards for how elections operate -- such as making Election Day a national holiday and allowing early voting nationwide -- stablish rules for redistricting criteria.
RELATED: Selma Jubilee returns with in-person and virtual events to mark 57th anniversary of Bloody Sunday
‘Solidarity with Selma’: Virtual commemoration to honor the 57th anniversary of Bloody Sunday
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Biden on Bloody Sunday anniversary: ‘The right to vote is the most fundamental’ - AL.com
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