The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is an enthusiastic supporter of the NAACP’s America’s Journey for Justice , which culminated in Washington, D.C. on September 16.
One of the main purposes of this journey, a march that covered 1,001 miles from Selma, Alabama to Washington, D.C., is to bring attention to the immediate need for the passage of national legislation to protect voters rights of Americans that have long histories of being disenfranchised.
In the two years since the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Congress has ignored continued widespread voting discrimination. As a result, the right to vote is now more in danger than at any time in the past 50 years.
Unfortunately, Congress has also failed to move to restore the original intent of Voters Rights Act. Unless Congress acts, voters will face the first presidential election in 50 years where the nation will lack the protections of the VRA to combat racial discrimination in voting.
Currently, there are two bipartisan bills before Congress that would restore the Voters Rights Act. However, there are still too many members of Congress who actively oppose or are ambivalent towards moving those bills forward. Congress can no longer continue to ignore the problem of modern voting discrimination. Congress must act to restore the V RA.
The National Association of Social Workers encourages its 130,000 members (and other Americans) to use NAACP’s America’s Journey for Freedom as a momentum builder for mobilizing members of Congress to do the right thing by restoring the VRA.
To learn more about the National Association of Social Workers’ stance on legislative and regulatory issues visit the NASW Advocacy website.
