In 1964, America was celebrating the Civil Rights Act, and in 1965, celebrating the Voting Rights Act. Those victories did not come easy for the giants that fought for us to have equal rights, but here we are again……fighting. After the 2020 U.S. presidential election and attempts by Donald Trump and the Republicans to overturn it, Republican lawmakers initiated a sweeping effort to make voting laws more restrictive. These restrictive laws negatively impact people of color. This afternoon, at Howard University, the Chair of the Democratic National Committee, Jaime Harrison, Howard University’s Student Association President, Kylie Burke, and Vice-President, Kamala Harris, delivered passionate speeches on voter restrictions, our right to vote, and how our voice matters.
Jaime Harrison was the first to take the stage and started his speech by stating that the most fundamental and sacred American right is our right to vote. He went on to say that just last week the Supreme Court set back voting rights by over 50 years. The Conservative Majority upheld two Arizona laws (6-3). One made 3rd party ballot collection illegal and the other tossed out people’s votes that were cast in the wrong precinct. The DNC fought both because it made voting harder for people of color. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed to prevent this type of stuff from happening. He talked about how he and his grandfather had a tradition of going to vote together and they did so until his passing in 2004. He said his grandfather was no stranger to voter suppression and would always tell him to never allow anyone to tell you that you don’t matter. He said the Democrats are here to defend, to secure, and to deliver voting rights for all Americans; regardless of political party, whether you’re white or black, straight, or gay.
Kylie Burke, Howard University’s Student Association President, was next on stage. Eloquently speaking, she said, “there’s something truly intangible about Howard U. It’s where giants are raised and where some giants learn how to fall; gracefully, but always getting back up”. She said, “Howard teaches you a thing or two about grit, to remain focused, and persistent; regardless of the inevitable obstacles that come your way”. I believe these are ingredients needed to continue this fight.
Vice-President, Kamala Harris, announced that the Democrats are making a $25 million dollar investment to expand the “I Will Vote” campaign. This campaign is grounded in the firm belief that everyone’s vote matters. She went on to state that 17 state legislatures have enacted 28 new laws that will make it harder for Americans to vote. The bills have already become law and that’s not including the nearly 400 bills that state legislatures are still attempting to pass. So, what are these laws designed to do? It makes it harder for people to vote; to not want to vote. It’s designed to cut early voting, cut vote-by-mail, and make it difficult for people to wait in line. Even right now, Texas Republicans are pushing harder to pass new voting restrictions. In some states, there has been success in blocking some of the anti-voter bills from becoming law and some are being challenged in court. With conviction, VP Harris told the crowd to not allow anyone to take our power or our voice and that our vote matters. The goal is to ensure Americans can vote in the upcoming elections. “It is never too early to defend your rights”, she said. Many people only vote during the presidential elections, but we must vote during our state and local elections too. The state and local elections impact our everyday life. We need to make sure our vote is counted in fair and transparent elections. She said, “our democracy is strongest when everyone participates and weaker when people are left out”. VP Harris provided the website, iwillvote.com. The website will allow a person to check that they are registered to vote and learn how they can get involved. This is a call for us all to work harder and to make sure we show up in record numbers at all our elections. We must keep fighting.
