Date: 2012-02-06
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Let me thank Congresswoman CHRISTENSEN for her leadership as well as thank our chairman. EMANUEL CLEAVER. We had the opportunity to host him in Houston this past weekend. and he raised the issue of the challenges of voter protection. I see that we are joined by our colleague from Ohio. MARCY KAPTUR has been a champion on these issues as well. and. frankly. has seen her State be in the crosshairs of trying to protect all citizens right to vote. I just want to follow up and say the Voting Rights Act is an act that dignifies all voters because its premise is one person. one vote. The tenets and the premise of the Voting Rights Act as passed: No matter what your background in this Nation. you have an opportunity to vote. If we keep with the integrity of the Voting Rights Act. the gist of its message is dont block individuals from voting. Thats simply what its message is. This is more than appropriate for which to rise to the floor today because this is the month of the birth of Barbara Jordan. February 21. Last year was her 75th year. and were still commemorating it in Houston. She was. again. part mother of the Voting Rights Act by adding language minorities. By doing that. she spread the coverage of the Voting Rights Act beyond the Deep South. which was the original core group of States that was signed into law in 1965. So I say thank you to the Honorable Barbara Jordan. one of our colleagues and a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. I stand here today to reject any undermining of the legislative intent and the coming together of Republicans and Democrats who voted for that extension at the time she was in the United States Congress. Now weve come more than 30some years later. When we reauthorized the Voting Rights Act in 2007. there were a lot of rumors and thought that we were extinguishing the Voting Rights Act. In fact. I want to put all of our colleagues on notice that the Voting Rights Act is always. in essence. in the crosshairs or in jeopardy for people who believe wrongly about the Voting Rights Act. The Voting Rights Act and protecting voters rights. again. is to make sure that seniors. to make sure that the disabled. to make sure that those who face hardshipsas we recall. there were enormous hardships during Hurricane Katrina. when the citizens of New Orleans were literally blocked from voting just because of the infrastructure collapse. and there were terrible conditions in Alabama and Missouri with tornadoes. I recall the infrastructure of the 2004 election in Ohio when our dear. late colleague Stephanie Tubbs Jones. worked so hard. along with MARCY KAPTUR. to thwart the breakdown of machines. I remember it well. We came to the floor. We took issue with the election because how is it that. all of a sudden. you have a breakdown of voting machines. interestingly enough. in the minority community? So this issue of voter protection is farreaching. It is not necessarily as clearcut as some would like to say. "Its for those people." Its not for "those people." In fact. it is for all Americans. And right now. we have a dilemma. The dilemma is that we have an epidemic. Some 40 States have passed what we call voter ID. Texas happens to be one of those States. Ohio was one of those Statesand Im not going to give Ms. KAPTURS comments. but I do want to congratulate Ohio for the work that they did. And she will tell you. it was in the crosshairs. Again. I use that frequently. It was conflicted. but it has been resolved. and she will. Im sure. address that. But there are other States who now are subjected to the oppressive. depressive voter ID law. In the instance of the State of Texas. might I say. that State allows you to use your gun license to vote. but a student Stateissued ID cannot be used. Elderly people now have to travel miles. many of whom were born with midwives and missing birth certificates. as was my mother who held onto her voting card that she legitimately got until the end of her life. But she could not vote today because. try as we may. for Ivalita Jackson to find her birth certificatewe went halfway around the world and still were not able to secure a certified copy of her birth certificate. I knew she was born because she lived. And then I have had seniors in my own district in wheelchairs. where they went with their family members to the site where they are to get their voter ID. waiting long hours. Right now in the State of Texas. we dont have an election date. We dont even know what to tell our constituents about getting a voter ID becausethank goodness. if I might saywere now presently being reviewed by the Department of Justice whether to preclear or not to preclear this voter ID law. I hope that truth will prevail that it is depressive and oppressive. So I am very grateful that the Congressional Black Caucus will be traveling to cities in a variety of regions of this Nation. including our Southwest region. to argue vigorously for voter protections and for ensuring the protection of all peoples right to vote. I hope. as we experienced in 2010. that the King Street Patriots who plagued our inner city precinctsmany of whom I sawwill not intimidate our voters. I hope that when this election comesfor poll watchers and others that come into our voting areas. minority and poor areas. people who have the right to votethat we will be there protecting everyones right to vote. Let me be very clear: Poor is not a respective color. It impacts all. And poor people who have difficulty in going somewhere to get a voter ID. or in some States paying $40. a new poll tax. or cant get off from work. thats voter protection. You can imagine there are people who work who are afraid to ask their bosses for the allotted time off for them to be able to vote. The efforts of the Congressional Black Caucus. joining with our colleagues. will stand up for each and every American. I am glad that President Lyndon Baines Johnson. a TexanI was just marveling at him today. and his daughter. Luci Baines Johnson. joined us when we honored Barbara Jordans 75th birthday just a few months ago. We will continue that with additional commemoration. But the key is loving the right to vote. protecting the right to vote. and supporting the Voting Rights Act is not solely with respect to color. We welcome everyone who will accept the fact that it is our birthright. as citizens. to be able to not be thwarted and stopped and blocked from going to a poll and expressing our right to democracy. Finally. let me say. I had the privilege of working for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. and I might say. it wasnt that long ago. It was some years ago. but it wasnt that long ago. And my friends. let me tell you. I traveled throughout Georgia. South Carolina. North Carolina. Alabama. Mississippi. the core States. among others. that started out with Dr. Kings great march and great efforts to push the Congress and the President toward recognizing how many people were left out of the right to vote. As a worker for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in the 1970s and beyond. I would go into places where people of African American descent were frightened to vote. were not registered to vote. were sharecroppers on plantationsand I venture to say that there are crises in communities like that even today. For us to go into those places was almost as if we were creating an overthrow of the government. I remember very distinctlyand I will say it on this floorgoing up to a leaning shanty building which was the place where these sharecroppers and others who lived in the area were supposed to be voting. The voting booth was. if you will. a ragged cloth covering an area that you allegedly were going to vote in. Sitting on the front porch of this tattered general store was a gentleman sitting with a rifle across his lap to suggest no one is welcome here. When I went up with my then rather young self. starryeyed and trying to ask if this was the voting site. all I could hear my colleagues say is "Run. he has a gun." And the next thing I heard as we were bending down behind carssomething I had never heard that close to mewas shots ringing out. This is not a joke. This is not something we dont take seriously. Ill never forget that day for as long as I live. that someone would block anyone from coming to a sacred and somber place to cast a vote for a person of their choosing. I want to thank the gentlelady for allowing me to participate. recognizing that this fight is a fight that we should never give up. and we should never categorize that voting rights is something about those minorities. Voting rights are American rights. and theyre rights vested in the Declaration of Independence. which starts out by saying. We all are created equal. with certain unalienable rights of life. liberty. and the pursuit of happiness. With that. I yield back to the gentlewoman. closing and saying. the right to vote is part of the pursuit of happiness. Mr. Speaker. I rise today joined by my fellow Congressional Black Caucus Members to speak about a challenge facing millions of Americans. This challenge skews the Constitutional fabric of our American society. This fabric. woven together by liberty. justice. and equal rights. has endured tremendous odds throughout the history of this great nation. During Black History Month. we celebrate the vast contributions of African Americans to our nations history and identity. Throughout Americas history. African American men and women have persevered through much hardship and prejudice to enrich our national life in innumerable ways. There are new landmarks to celebrate as time marches forward. In November 2008. Americans elected the first African American to be President. In October 2011. the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall was dedicated. On February 22. there will be groundbreaking ceremony. on the National Mall near the Washington Monument. for the National Museum of African American History and Culture. which Congress authorized in December 2003. It is expected to open in 2015. The theme of Black History Month this year is "Black Women in American Culture and History." This gives all Americans the opportunity to pay tribute to the role African American women have played in shaping our nationwith African American women often serving as champions of social and political reforms. Many African American families are still bearing the brunt of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. In September. President Obama sent to Congress the American Jobs Act. which would strengthen the economy and is estimated to create 1.9 million jobs. Over the last several months. Republican obstruction has been blocking this bill from moving forward. "Jobs and the economy are the numberone issue for African American families. just as they are for all American families." commented Congresswoman SHEILA JACKSON LEE. "That is why my immediate focus is on fighting for a payroll tax cut for 20 million African American workers and to extend the lifeline of unemployment insurance for those who have lost a job through no fault of their own. I will also continue to work for the enactment of other provisions of the Presidents American Jobs Act. that create jobs by helping small businesses hire and grow. putting construction workers back on the job rebuilding America. and preventing the layoff of teachers. firefighters and police officers. These steps are critical to helping improve the lives of African American families all across the country." As we celebrate Black History Month let us pay tribute to the extraordinary contributions of past generations of African Americans and work to reignite the American Dream today and for the next generation. We must continue to work for an America that fully lives up to its ideals and allows all Americans to reach their full potential. Today. Mr. Speaker. I rise to speak to this Body about the need to protect democracy. to protect the voice of the American people. and to ensure the right to vote continues to be treated as a right under the Constitution. As we enter into Black History Month. it is important to recognize the legacy that the right to vote has placed upon our nation. Black History Month is a celebration of people who have gone before us and on whose shoulders we stand. of people who stand among us today transfixed on a goal to achieve even more. It is a time to pause and renew our commitment to realize the progress and achievements of our people and to go much further as we write our own chapter. a time to continue the legacy of African American History. Today. African Americans. as other minorities. know that we have not yet overcome the weight of not being treated as full citizens of this great nation. During Black History Month. we recognize and celebrate the countless contributions of African American pioneers. These honorable men and women faced unimaginable hardships and refused to allow the racial inequalities and injustices of our past to inhibit their destiny. While we recognize these celebrated American heroes. it is important to understand that Black History Month was also designed to highlight the extraordinary lives of ordinary people who have helped build our great nation. Let us celebrate the African Americans who made amazing sacrifices in the name of justice and equality in the past and let us recommit ourselves to continuing to work for an America that fully lives up to its ideals and ensures that every American has the tools and opportunity to pursue the American Dream. In the present era. our African American elected officials and the presidents of the various civil rights. fraternal. business and religious organizations continue to encourage our nation to keep its commitment to freedom and equality.