On the 8th anniversary of the Shelby vs Holder, Supreme Court decision, which gutted the 1965 Voting Rights Act of its critical ‘pre-clearance procedures’, a collaborative coalition of organizations is holding a day of actions in Shelby County to support voting rights and national legislation to protect voting rights and restore the protections stripped by the Supreme Court. The coalition supporting voting rights includes Lift Our Vote, AL NAACP, Black Voters Matter, Leadership Conference, Poor People’s Campaign, SPLC Action, World Conference of Mayors, SOS, Transformative Justice Coalition, United Mine Workers of America, Selma Jubilee, AL Black Women’s Roundtable, National Action Network AL, TOPS, AL New South Coalition, Alabama Coalition on Black Civic Participation, Transform AL, and others. These groups have joined together to educate, empower, and engage the public to highlight the reasons why America is facing sweeping voter suppression and advance the needs for voter protections through legislative measures like the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the For The People Act. Event coordinators and state leadership will convene at the Shelby County Courthouse, in Columbiana, on Friday June 25th at 10:00 am, CDT for a press conference and kickoff rally around their calls to action for voter protections for the entire nation. The program will then transition to Orr Park in Montevallo, AL for a day of community service and engagement to include free food, vaccinations, voter verification, registration, and restoration, and live performances. This event will further support addressing the urgent need to restore the Voting Rights Act (VRA) to ensure that every eligible voter can make their voice heard at the ballot box, free from discrimination. The coalition invites people from throughout Alabama to attend the Shelby Day events and support the voter protection demands. For more information contact: http://www.liftourvote.com and http://www.alnaacp.org or the members of the coalition listed above.
Tag Archives: Transformative Justice Coalition
Newswire: Saturday May 8 – National John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Action Day Join ‘Votercade’ from Selma to Montgomery
Poster for John Lewis Voting Rights Day
The Transformative Justice Coalition, joined by hundreds of state and local organizations is sponsoring the National John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Action Day on Saturday, May 8, 2021. The focus of the activities on May 8 is to demand preservation and expansion of voting rights by highlighting the need for Congress to pass national legislation in view of the over 300 voter suppression bills being considered in over 40 state legislatures. The legislation that is being supported includes:
• HR1/S1 – For the People Act • HR4 – the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
• HR51 – Washington D. C. Admissions Act (DC Statehood)
• Addressing the Filibuster The May 8th actions seek to ignite public support for restoring the effectiveness of the Voting Rights Act and address one of the greatest obstacles to the passage of civil and voting rights – and one of the last vestiges of slavery – the filibuster!
The coalition is sponsoring more than 100 “Votercades in cities around the country on Saturday afternoon, together with national broadcast of the events on Facebook and other media. In Alabama, the May 8th events are focused on a ‘votercade’ from Selma to Montgomery, retracing the steps of the original 1965 Voting Rights March. Cars will line up at the Brown’s Chapel AME Church in Selma at 11:00 AM and the ride will begin at 1:00 PM after a press conference. The day’s program will end in Montgomery at Celebration Village, King’s Canvas, 1413 Oak Street, Montgomery, AL, where there will be additional speakers, dinner and a fresh food giveaway. For more information, go to the Transformative Justice Coalition website or to the Selma-to-Montgomery Votercade Facebook page.