Join Oregon's “Our Democracy Can’t Wait!” Virtual Rally at noon on August 10th !

“Our Democracy Can’t Wait” - The Fight for Voting Rights
A Message from Rosa Colquitt, PhD, DPO Vice Chair and Black Caucus Chair

Voornaam,

In an opinion piece written by the beloved Congressman John Lewis, and published by The New York Times shortly after his death, he wrote these words: "Though I am gone I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe... Voting and participating in the democratic process are key. The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society."

Fifty-six years after the passage of the landmark legislation, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights movement, African Americans and other citizens of color are indeed worried about voting and the right to participate fully in the democratic process.

In view of two of the most recent rulings of the Supreme Court that have rendered the Voting Rights Act of 1965 virtually toothless, and the more than 400 bills introduced in 2021 in Republican-led legislatures to suppress the voting rights of Black and Brown citizens, it’s important to once again to remember why this Voting Rights Act was originally adopted and strengthened in 1970, 1975 and 1982, and why we need to take immediate action to protect our democracy in 2021.

A transcript of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 describes it as “An Act to enforce the fifteenth amendment to the Constitution,” 95 years after the amendment was ratified. In those years African Americans faced tremendous obstacles to voting, including poll taxes, literacy tests, and other bureaucratic restrictions to deny them the right to vote. They also risked harassment, intimidation, economic reprisals, and physical violence when they tried to register to vote.

While much progress has occurred socially and politically in the intervening years between 1965 and 2021, with the gutting of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, state legislatures continue to pass voter suppression and nullification laws. The Brennan Center for Justice reports that 14 states have enacted laws that give partisan officials more control over election oversight, potentially allowing politicians the ability to overturn an election result, as Donald Trump urged states to overturn the presidential election in 2020!

In an urgent effort to fight to protect our democracy, the Declaration for American Democracy is sponsoring an August 10th nationwide day of a call to action with “Our Democracy Can’t Wait Rallies.” One of the main purposes of the rallies is to speak to the need to protect our democracy by passing the “For the People Act” into law. The DPO Black Caucus, in collaboration with the Multnomah County Democrats, is honored to host Oregon’s national “Our Democracy Can’t Wait Rally.” Here is the link for our Oregon virtual event: Democracy Can't Wait! Voting Rights Teach In.

We would be proud to have you join us on August 10th at noon to hear Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, Secretary of State Shemia Fagan, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, many of our state legislators, our Oregon Democratic National Committee (DNC) representatives, and other committed community activists.

Oregon Democrats, “Our Democracy Can’t Wait!” Let’s come together on August 10th.

I opened with the impassioned words of John Lewis. I will close in like manner. "Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting into what I call good trouble, necessary trouble."

Thank you,

Rosa Colquitt, PhD
Vice Chair, Democratic Party of Oregon
Chair, Democratic Party of Oregon Black Caucus

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