Black women applaud president’s demands in support of voting rights

Statement from In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda

WASHINGTON — Yesterday, President Biden pounded the podium as he demanded that the U.S. Senate take immediate action to protect voting rights. Marcela Howell, president and CEO of In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda, issued the following statement in response:

“We applaud President Biden’s unequivocal demand that the Senate pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. It is time for all policymakers who believe in American democracy, to embrace the need to champion voting rights for all people.

“To date, some in the U.S. Senate have shown disdain for voting rights and fair elections, often hiding behind a smokescreen of reverence for the filibuster. The fact is that the same enemies of civil and human rights who used the Senate’s rules to block judicial appointments by a Black president are now using those antiquated rules to block the voting rights of Black citizens. The same forces that participated in the violent storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, in an effort to overthrow a fair election, have passed and are passing racist laws in states across the country to stop Black people from voting.

“We refuse to be cowed by these enemies of civil rights. The protection of our most fundamental constitutional right requires swift action, and the Senate must take it. Now, is the time for senators to follow President Biden’s lead and pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act — even if it requires a rule change to do so.

“Voters across the country demand nothing less. We challenge every voter to join us in our campaign for voting rights by contacting their senators to demand action now.”

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In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda is a national reproductive justice organization focused on lifting the voices of Black women at the national and regional levels in our ongoing policy fight to secure reproductive justice for all women and girls. Our eight strategic partners include Black Women for Wellness, Black Women’s Health Imperative, New Voices for Reproductive Justice, SisterLove, Inc. SisterReach, SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW, The Afiya Center and Women With A Vision.