MLK III and Rev. Al Sharpton Respond to Blocked Voting Rights Bills

Washington, D.C. — Today, Congress left for recess without moving voting rights legislation forward. As state-level voting attacks spread across the country, Americans are crying out for Congress to pass federal voting legislation and remove the filibuster as a barrier to justice. That call to secure the sacred right to vote will be heard nationwide on Saturday, August 28, when millions across the country join the March On for Voting Rights in D.C. Phoenix, Atlanta, Houston and Miami to make their voices heard.

Martin Luther King III, Chairman of the Drum Major Institute and civil rights leader behind the March On for Voting Rights, issued the following statement in response: 

“Congress must reform the filibuster to ensure power is not stripped away from millions across the country who turned out last year to make their voices heard. My father used to say that a voteless people is a powerless people. We need federal legislation to expand voting rights and give every American access to the ballot box. We’ll be coming together on August 28 in cities across the country to demand that Congress stand up and protect our power and our vote.”

Rev. Al Sharpton, President and Founder of National Action Network and civil rights leader behind the March On For Voting Rights, issued the following statement in response: 

“Our nation is home to many Americans who, despite our want for an equal nation, lack free and fair access to voting. We appealed directly to the members of both the Republican and Democratic parties of congress to reflect on the history of civil rights leaders who have come before us and to stand in solidarity and strength with the oppressed. While we continue forward towards the passage of revised voting rights protection legislation, there is also work to be done to remove the filibuster as a barrier. This attack on participation in democracy has been brought to the forefront of the national conversation and National Action Network and I will continue to bring to light the threat to voting in this country.”

For more information, visit marchonforvotingrights.org.