"During oral arguments for Shelby v. Holder, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia dismissed the overwhelming Congressional support for the Voting Rights Act as the "perpetuation of racial entitlement," and his comment was met with requisite gasps from those in the courtroom. The sheer audacity of this statement only further highlights the racial amnesia that makes the Voting Rights Act absolutely crucial. There is no excuse for Justice Scalia's willful ignorance of the hard-fought gains of the Civil Rights movement and the continuing threat to the voting rights of the disenfranchised in this country.
Blood was shed by many to ensure the right to vote for future generations. The Ku Klux Klan was ruthless in their resistance to Black voter registration. Most notably, Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney were all murdered in Mississippi for registering voters. On the day known to all as Bloody Sunday, some 600 unarmed civil rights leaders marched across the Edmond Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama; they were met by state troopers with nightsticks and tear gas. Gutting the Voting Rights Act is disrespectful to all civil rights leaders who were brutalized while fighting these injustices. Dishonoring the work of these brave men and women is akin to trampling on the graves of those who gave their lives for our rights.
Those who would eliminate voting protections for the diverse body that makes up the fabric of our nation argue that these injustices have long since past. Yet the evidence shows us that racial discrimination still runs rampant in many parts of our country. In the 2012 election, Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act prevented discriminatory voter ID laws in my home state of Texas. But this issue is not limited to southern states. Counties and townships in California, New York, Michigan, and New Hampshire are covered under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, and the law has protected African Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans alike. After the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, the Voting Rights Act ensured that hundreds of voters in New York City's Chinatown area were not disenfranchised. Without these protections, discriminatory policies designed by those with deep-rooted racial resentment will continue to chip away at the rights of other Americans.
The right to vote is at the very core of our democracy. As American citizens, we possess the inalienable right to cast our vote and to do so without the threat of voter intimidation. It is intolerable for election officials to neglect to provide a sufficient number of voting machines in communities of color. It is a disgrace to witness long lines of people waiting to vote, as we have seen in recent elections. We need the Voting Rights Act to combat the worst of present-day disenfranchisement.
Our country has come too far and made too much progress to have our rights stripped away from us. We cannot and will not go back. The march is not yet over. The fight has not yet been won. The role of Congress to enact legislation enshrining our constitutional rights is clear, and Congress has spoken unequivocally. The right to vote is a constitutional right and the dismissive reference to it as a "racial entitlement" is outlandish and cynical. The Supreme Court must uphold Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act and send a strong message to the American people that racial discrimination will not be tolerated." - Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson
Article from USAToday
