Equality For All Americans

Floor Speech

Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a historic week. On Sunday, we celebrated Rosa Parks Day; Thursday, we observed the start of the Montgomery bus boycott; and Friday, we commemorate the 148th anniversary of the Thirteenth Amendment, which ended slavery.

As we reflect on these historic events, we see how far our Nation has come in advancing equality for all Americans. However, recent actions like the Supreme Court's decision to gut the Voting Rights Act remind us that we have much more work ahead.

Although I dream of a day that the Voting Rights Act is unnecessary, the truth is that voter discrimination and suppression live on today as ugly legacies of our past. In the past few years, many States have introduced legislation that would restrict access to a voting booth. These discriminatory actions prove that the protections in the Voting Rights Act are still necessities in our world today.

So this week, as we remember the struggles and sacrifices made to ensure basic rights for all Americans, I urge my colleagues to continue fighting to ensure that no American is denied their right to vote.

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