On 50th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday, LGBTQ Advocates Urge Congress to Restore Voting Rights Act

WASHINGTON, DC, March 6, 2015 — Tomorrow marks the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday and the seminal 54-mile march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. The march, which took place at the height of the struggle for civil rights in the 1960s, was pivotal to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Key portions of this landmark federal legislation were struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in its 2013 Shelby County v Holder ruling.

“The Justice Department’s report this week on the draconian and racially biased policing in Ferguson, Missouri further proves that racial discrimination is still a major problem in the U.S. And as we have seen in election after election, people of color are having their right to vote diminished and in many instances removed by unnecessary voter ID laws as well as discriminatory polling practices. As LGBTQ people, and LGBTQ people of color, we know all too well what it means to be marginalized, stripped of our human dignity, and denied basic rights.

“The blood, sweat, and tears shed to secure critical reforms during from the 1960s until today in 2015 cannot be in vain. We must keep Dr. King’s dream alive, we must continue the legacy of Selma, and we must recommit to eradicating all forms of discrimination. As we reflect on the 50 year anniversary of Bloody Sunday, we urge members of Congress to restore the Voting Rights Act and eliminate barriers to full freedom, justice, and equality for all,” said Rev. Darlene Nipper, Deputy Executive Director, National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund.

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