The 1965 law, a rare and profound act of consensus, has been hollowed out. We cannot forget the power Dr King saw in the right to vote
In a moment when we should be celebrating one of the most important pieces of legislation in American history, we are in fact at a worse place as a nation than when it was passed. Those of us fighting to protect the right to vote find ourselves against a movement that doesn’t want to take us back to 1965. They want to create an America that more closely resembles the one of 1865.
Sixty years ago, in a rare and profound act of consensus, Congress passed a law to end the centuries-old rigging of American democracy. Yet today the system is as rigged as ever, with the battered Voting Rights Act on life support.
Rev Al Sharpton is an American Baptist minister, civil rights activist and radio talkshow host
