Center for American Progress

STATEMENT: CAP President Neera Tanden on The 50th Anniversary of ‘Bloody Sunday’
Press Statement

STATEMENT: CAP President Neera Tanden on The 50th Anniversary of ‘Bloody Sunday’

Washington, D.C. — In the wake of the 50th anniversary of the day in Selma, Alabama, that would infamously become known as “Bloody Sunday,” Neera Tanden, President of the Center for American Progress, has issued the following statement:
The brave actions that took place in Selma, Alabama, on March 7, 1965, served as catalysts for the passage of the Voting Rights Act and was a high point for the civil rights movement. Fifty years later, although progress has been made, voting rights in the United States remain under constant attack. From voter suppression efforts—such as the Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder Supreme Court decision in 2013, which invalidated core protections in the Voting Rights Act—to the subsequent attacks on voting rights that 15 states launched in advance of the 2014 midterm elections, there continues to be a struggle to protect every American’s constitutional right to not only register but to be allowed to vote. That is why it’s past time for Congress to pass the Voting Rights Amendment Act, which would restore a key piece of the landmark legislation and ensure equal access to the ballot boxes for everyone, including communities of color. That is the true way to honor the legacy of Selma.
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CAP experts are available for comment on this topic. For more information or to speak to an expert, please contact Tanya S. Arditi at [email protected].
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