DCCC Chair Statement on the Anniversary of the March on Washington

“63 years ago, Americans marched on Washington in pursuit of an ideal that echoes through our founding documents but has yet to be fully realized: that democracy, liberty, and justice belong to everyone. 

“In America today, many of the rights those 250,000 brave men and women marched for — enshrined in the Voting Rights Act by President Johnson — are under assault by a Republican party that sees gerrymandering and voter suppression as means for protecting their power. 

“The midterm elections are an opportunity for all voters — especially Black voters in the South — to stand up against Republican attempts to weaken their voice and political power. We’ve seen early indications that voters from Texas and Tennessee to Alabama, Florida and the Carolinas are surging to the polls. Black turnout is blowing past expectations, and communities are energized behind Democratic candidates. In November, the same unyielding patriotism that brought a diverse coalition of Americans to the Lincoln Memorial will bring tens of millions to the ballot box. 

“It took 200 years for Black Americans to attain equal voting rights and fair representation in Congress, we will not surrender as Republicans try to undo it. We will win in November and pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act to re-enshrine those protections that so many have fought for, and we will reclaim those founding principles of democracy, liberty, and justice not just in memory, but in action.”