Statement of California Democratic Party African-American Caucus Chair Darren Parker on Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. 2014 Holiday
News Release: January 17, 2014
As we celebrate the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday and honor his legacy this month, we must take time to acknowledge what we have accomplished while looking forward at what remains to be done.
Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that Dr. King fought for and that President Lyndon B. Johnson would eventually go on to sign.
Civil Rights hero and Congressman John Lewis remarked that the vote is the “most powerful nonviolent tool” we possess in our democracy. Those words remain true today.
While we honor Dr. King’s legacy it is imperative that Congress work to make the Voting Rights Act whole once more. We simply cannot continue marching toward the more perfect union that Dr. King fought and died for if members of our society find their right to vote so easily denied.
