Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), the Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, today presided at a hearing on “Oversight of the Voting Rights Act: The Evolving Landscape of Voting Discrimination.”
In his opening statement, Chairman Cohen said:
“The late beloved Representative John Lewis -- my hero, my dear friend, my partner in making ‘good trouble,’ and my honored colleague -- shed his blood and almost died defending the right to vote. He often said, as he did in 2013, that ‘the right to vote is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have in a democracy. I risked my life defending that right. Some died in the struggle. If we are ever to actualize the true meaning of equality, effective measures such as the Voting Rights Act are still a necessary requirement of democracy.’
“The right to vote is the right that guarantees all other rights in our democracy. Unfortunately, the voting rights of African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and other members of racial and language minorities have been threatened and undermined throughout our Nation’s history.”
See the entire opening statement here.
See Congressman Cohen’s questioning of witnesses here.
Witnesses at today’s hearing were:
- Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II
President, Repairers of the Breach;
- The Honorable Julián Castro
Former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development;
- Ms. Jacqueline De León
Staff Attorney, Native American Rights Fund;
- The Honorable Mark Robinson
Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina.
