56 years ago today, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act. This landmark federal legislation put an end to racial discrimination at the ballot box. But in 2013, the Supreme Court gutted the VRA and since doing so, 26 states have enacted new laws to make it harder to vote. While this disproportionately impacts communities of color, it also creates barriers for other Americans including the elderly, poor and disabled. Voting rights is not a partisan issue; it’s an American issue. The more people have access to the ballot, the more opportunities exist for representation and change.
Founder of Shirley’s Kitchen Cabinet, Michele Watley, speaks on the VRA, history of voter discrimination and what’s at stake for all of us today.
