February 1, 2022 (San Diego) – Born during the Great Depression, I was in my 30s when President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, guaranteeing that after taking office, he would pass a major tax cut bill, the Clean Air Act, and the Civil Rights Act. In addition to banning job discrimination, these laws also forbade segregation of public accommodation (for example, not allowing blacks to use the bathroom).
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April 5, 2016 (Washington D.C.) — The U.S. Supreme Court handed a victory to civil rights activists and a loss to conservative challengers, upholding a key provision of the U.S. Voting Rights Act by a unanimous 8 to 0 vote.
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As we celebrate Martin Luther King Day, we look back 50 years, to when Dr. King shared his wise words with the nation, words which altered the nations views on civil injustice.
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly," Dr. King wrote in 1963. Half a century later the words are just as relevant to today's society.
Dr. King fought for enactment of the Voting Rights Act, as well as the Civil Rights Act, to assure equal rights for all Americans. But last year, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a key provision of the Voting Rights Act -- and now a bipartisan coalition of Senators hopes to restore the Voting Rights Act's powers.
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August 29, 2013 (Washington D.C.) -- Fifty years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his now-famous “I have a dream” speech to a crowd of marchers in Washington D.C. from across the nation in support of civil rights. That movement in 1963 led ultimately to signing of the Civil Rights Act.
Yesterday, a massive crowd of people filled Capitol malll for a commemoration of that historic event. President Barack Obama delivered a speech at the Lincoln Memorial, site of Dr. King’s famed oration.
“The March on Washington teaches us that we are not trapped by the mistakes of history; that we are masters of our fate,” the President said. “But it also teaches us that the promise of this nation will only be kept when we work together. We’ll have to reignite the embers of empathy and fellow feeling, the coalition of conscience that found expression in this place 50 years ago.” View video of the President’s speech.
Attorney General Eric Holder also spoke, alluding to the Supreme Court’s recent decision weakening the Voting Rights Act.
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"Discrimination at the ballot box is intolerable, and we must ensure that minorities don’t have their votes purged, packed, gerrymandered, and redistricted away.” -- Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, commenting on the decision
By Miriam Raftery
June 25, 2013 (Washington D.C.) – By a 5-4 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down a requirement for states and communities with a history of discrimination against minority voters to obtain federal approval before changing their voting laws. The Court did not find the Voting Rights requirement of preapproval itself unconstitutional, but ruled that Congress must act to assess which areas still have evidence of discrimination.
The action in the Shelby v. Holder case has triggered outraged reactions from civil rights leaders across the nation.
“Communities of color, and young, women, elderly, and disables voters are at risk,” the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) warns. The NAACP has launched a petition asking Congress to act to protect voting rights . (Petition:http://www.naacp.org/page/s/vra-no-voting-rights?subsource=strucklb)
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March 9, 2013 (Bonita) – The U.S. Supreme Court is considering a case that could result in significant changes or weakening of the federal Voting Rights Act, a landmark law which guarantees one of our most important civil rights, the right to vote.
On Tuesday, March 12, the Eastlake-Bonita Democratic Club will host a presentation on the Voting Rights Act and the case now before the Supreme Court. Refreshments will be served at 6:30, followed by the meeting at 7 p.m.
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May 15, 2012 (San Diego) -- Thirty states (not California) have enacted laws that require a photo-ID in order to vote. These laws are a violation of the Voting Rights Act and are unconstitutional, so they are always challenged in court. But right now---for this election, meet a woman in South Carolina: an 82 year old black woman who has been a registered voter in South Carolina since the Voting Rights Act was passed into law, has no government issued photo ID because she has always used public transportation and her birth certificate, (tucked into the family Bible) from Mississippi was lost in a fire---so she can’t vote.
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April 17, 2012 (El Cajon) – The Grossmont Union High School Board meeting on April 19 will include a Superintendent’s vote on Voting Rights Act issues, a resolution to implement lay-offs of classified employees, and other key issues. The meeting will be held at the East County Regional Education Center, 924 East Main Street.
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August 2, 2011 (San Diego)—By a unanimous vote, San Diego County’s Board of Supervisors today decided to redraw supervisorial districts to include a South Bay district in which racial minorities comprise the majority of the population The five white Supervisors, all Republicans, originally had proposed a map with all-white majority districts.
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April 17, 2012 (El Cajon) – The Grossmont Union High School Board meeting on April 19 will include a Superintendent’s vote on Voting Rights Act issues, a resolution to implement lay-offs of classified employees, and other key issues. The meeting will be held at the East County Regional Education Center, 924 East Main Street. 
August 2, 2011 (San Diego)—By a unanimous vote, San Diego County’s Board of Supervisors today decided to redraw supervisorial districts to include a South Bay district in which racial minorities comprise the majority of the population The five white Supervisors, all Republicans, originally had proposed a map with all-white majority districts.
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