Pelosi Statement on 45th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6  /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today celebrating the 45th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, which was signed into law on August 6, 1965:

"Forty-five years ago today, President Lyndon Johnson stood with Members of Congress in the Capitol Rotunda to sign the Voting Rights Act and to assert the fundamental right of every American citizen to participate in our democracy. Declaring a 'triumph for freedom as huge as any victory... on the battlefield,' our nation entered a new era of equality and hope. We realized the true meaning of our creed that all are created equal. At long last, we came together to 'overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice.'

"Our country is stronger because of the Voting Rights Act. Yet our fight for justice continues. America's leaders must keep working to break down the remaining barriers in our society, in our economy, and in our laws. We will follow in the footsteps of our predecessors, striving to enshrine the promise of fairness and opportunity for all Americans.

"One of the great privileges of my professional life was to walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 2001 with Congressman John Lewis – a true hero of our history – to commemorate the historic march that started in Selma, Alabama in March 1965. That day reminds us that the struggle for civil rights goes on. The battle did not end with this landmark piece of legislation. And the march for a better future will move forward from the halls of Congress to communities nationwide."

SOURCE Office of the Speaker of the House

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