What's On Our Mind 1-14-2022
Submitted by holliswein on Fri, 01/14/2022 - 5:00pm
If you are lucky, your Representative or Senator is a Democrat who has been standing up for the issues that are important to you.
But what about those that live in other areas? Every member of Congress votes on every issue you care about. It takes 218 Representatives in the House to pass legislation. It currently takes at least 51, and often 60, Senators to pass legislation in the Senate. Therefore, we need to make sure that we support and help elect candidates across the board. But people must have the freedom and ability to vote for those candidates.
If people in Kansas City, KS are prevented from voting, then they can’t vote for Rep. Sharice Davids from that area. She has been a leader in fighting for gun violence prevention.
Securing the right to vote is essential to advancing progress on all of the issues that matter to our communities and our families. Without our ability to be counted at the polls and decide who represents us in the halls of power, we won’t see progress on gun violence prevention, reproductive rights, racial justice, climate change, and more.
As we honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, it’s a solemn reminder that the fight to protect the sacred right to vote is far from over. The fight for civil rights was fought on behalf of all of us so that we all can live in a country that respects people regardless of gender, race, or religion.
Change does not happen overnight. It is the fight of many hours, days, months, and sometimes years. The Civil Rights Movement began in the 40s, but it wasn’t until 1963 that success was achieved with the Voting Rights Act.
Today we are discouraged that there are not enough votes to pass these voting protections in the Senate. But we can't walk away from that fight and others like it. Apathy is not the answer or choice.
Stay involved with JAC. Continue your calls. Let your voice be heard. We need to keep working together to elect enough Senators to finally make the changes we are seeking.
