Originally reported: www.blackvotersmatterfund.org
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National voting rights organization to host press conference (live stream on March 1 at 3pm CT) ahead of Senate Hearing in Montgomery with testimony by U.S. Senator Laphonza Butler and LaTosha Brown
ALABAMA — From March 1 to March 3, Black Voters Matter (BVM) will return to Alabama to commemorate the 59th anniversary of Bloody Sunday amid growing efforts to repeal voting and civil rights in the state and across the country. Continuing its “We Fight Back” campaign, which launched in January, BVM will work with partners to inform, engage and mobilize Black voters and leaders, grassroots organizations, social justice advocates and young people on using the power of their voice and vote to fight back against abuses on key issues of local and national significance.
In Selma, BVM will join local and national partners – Lift Our Vote, Transform Alabama, TOPS, Foot Soldiers Park, Chi Omega Foundation, Selma Center for Non-Violence, Transformative Justice Coalition, The Workers Circle, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law and The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation – to honor the sacrifices of trailblazers on the frontlines of the civil rights movement while incorporating lessons from history to combat current injustices facing Black communities today. Activities on the ground in Selma will include door-to-door canvassing, power-building workshops and a Jubilee Education Summit: event one is geared toward high school students, and event two is a virtual session for educators, parents and community members.
In Montgomery, BVM will join its partners to host a virtual and in-person press conference ahead of a Senate hearing on voting rights where Sen. Butler and LaTosha Brown, co-founder of BVM, will testify on modern-day voting discrimination in Alabama.
“It is significant to note that 59 years after the passage of the Voting Rights Act, we are going back to Alabama on its anniversary to hear and voice how voter suppression efforts not only persist but are growing here and across the nation,” said LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter. “Alabama’s elected officials have repeatedly stood in the way of progress on voting rights, defying even the highest court in the land. As this current legislative session is again considering restrictive voting laws designed to suppress turnout, Selma reminds us that we cannot look away, stand down, or give up hope but that we must continue to fight back.”
“The legacy and impact of this landmark day calls on us to continue the battle for our rights and freedoms,” said Cliff Albright, co-founder and executive director of Black Voters Matter. “While we are tired of fighting the same fight, we know the freedoms our communities deserve and the work that remains to be done. Alabama holds a long history of determining progress for the rest of the country, and in the spirit of Selma, we will not stand for going backward.”
Alabama remains central to the fight for voting rights, notably when Allen v. Milligan reached the Supreme Court last year, triggering a months-long standoff by GOP lawmakers delaying the creation of fairer maps for Black voters and setting off similar actions across the South. New threats to other civil rights have emerged within the state, such as the recent ruling on reproductive rights, which could disproportionately impact Black women. BVM will continue to drive progress on critical intersecting issues affecting Black voters in Alabama and beyond.
“On this 59th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday, we are forced into battling for the very survival of the Voting Rights Act for which John Lewis, Amelia Boynton and the 600 beaten that day spilled their blood. Despicably, over 20 state attorney generals, including the Alabama State Attorney General, have betrayed the citizens of their states by seeking to deny private persons and private organizations the right to file lawsuits challenging unlawful racial discrimination in voting,” said Barbara Arnwine, president and founder of the Transformative Justice Coalition. “Unashamedly, they now are also seeking to destroy the very heart of the Voting Rights Act by arguing in federal court that Section 2 is unconstitutional!! Today’s Field Hearing provides a critical opportunity to garner evidence debunking the anti-Voting Rights Act forces arguments that discrimination in voting no longer exists. We will never abandon the fight for a fully equal, inclusive and accessible multi-racial democracy!!”
“This summit will foster discussions on contemporary social justice issues, explore the intersection of education and activism, and inspire a new generation to advocate for equity and justice,” said Candice Pettaway, PhD Candidate and Summit Coordinator.
“Collective power is the only way to prevail against attacks on our rights and democracy. That is why the Workers Circle has forged strong partnerships with Black-led organizations for generations,” said Ann Toback, CEO of the Workers Circle. “We will stand shoulder to shoulder with Black Voters Matter in Selma and beyond, and through the Black and Jewish Partnership for Democracy, we are pooling our long traditions of organizing together, to empower voters and demand the multiracial, multicultural democracy we need.”
SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS:
All times CT
Montgomery, AL Senate Hearing & Press Conference
- Friday, March 1:
- 3:00 pm – Joint Virtual & In-Person Press Conference with Partners on Voting Discrimination
- The Ralph Abernathy Auditorium at Alabama State University — 1625 Harris Way, Montgomery, AL 36106
- To view the virtual press conference, click here.
- 5:00 pm – U.S. Senate Hearing on “Modern Day Voting Discrimination in Alabama” with Testimony from Senator Butler and LaTosha Brown
- Alabama State University Interpretive Center — 1521 Harris Way, Montgomery, AL 36106. Click here for live viewing.
Selma, AL Anniversary Events
- March 1, 2024:
- 8:30 am – 2:00 pm: Bridge Crossing Jubilee Youth Leadership and Justice Education Summit (for students)
- Wallace Community College — 3000 Earl Goodwin Pkwy, Selma, AL 36701. Register here.
- 10:00 am – 2:30 pm: Virtual Education Summit (for educators, parents, community members, invested individuals), Register here.
- March 2, 2024:
- 9:00 am – 3:00 pm: Parade, Canvassing and Festival
- See full schedule here with locations.
- 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm: Building Power from the Ground Up: Fighting for Democracy in the States – Panel with April Albright
- St. James Hotel, Rear Terrace – 1200 Water Avenue, Selma, AL 36703
- 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm: NAACP Legal Defense Fund Democracy Rising Voting Rights Panel with Cliff Albright
- Edmundite Missions – 1428 Broad St, Selma, AL 36701
- March 3, 2024:
- 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm: Pre- March Rally
- Brown Chapel AME Church — 410 Martin Luther King Street, Selma, AL 36703
- 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm: March for Voting Rights – Solidarity March over the Edmund Pettus Bridge
- (Starting at) Brown Chapel AME Church — 410 Martin Luther King Street, Selma, AL 36703
- 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm: Pre-Candidate Forum Free Food & Fellowship
- Wallace Community College — 3000 Earl Goodwin Pkwy, Selma, AL 36701 (outside of Earl Goodwin Theatre)