Derrick Johnson , the National NAACP President states “ White Supremacy has endured beyond Jan . 6 , diminishing Voting Rights .”
White Supremacy Is Diminishing Voting Rights
Derrick Johnson , the National NAACP President states “ White Supremacy has endured beyond Jan . 6 , diminishing Voting Rights .”
Our nation stands at a critical inflection point . We are commemorating the anniversary of one of our nation ’ s darkest days – the deadly Capitol insurrection of Jan . 6 , 2021 . At the same time , the nation is bracing for a frightening reality in which electoral maps are set to be redrawn without voting rights protections , for the first time since 1965 .
Jan . 6 is not merely about former President Donald Trump ’ s failed grasp for everlasting power . That day also shows the fragility of our democracy . And it would be hypocritical for either side of the political aisle to blame the other . White supremacists attempted a coup live on national television to block the counting of presidential election votes . And now the party in control of both houses of Congress has failed to get legislation to the president that would protect the voting rights of Americans . They could do this alone , but a select few are choosing to sacrifice this dire civil rights concern for the optics of bipartisanship .
Bipartisanship is wonderful when it works . But it must never come at the cost of democracy . Our democracy is in crisis . And in times of crisis , the actions of extremists – like those who stormed the Capitol – and mainstream politicians who refuse to defend the franchise have garnered the same , dangerous result . In this case , an attempt to diminish the basic democratic right to vote .
Yet , all three governors have signed voter suppression bills into law . And it ’ s not just in Texas , Georgia and Florida where such actions have been taken . Attacks on voting rights have happened in Arizona , Arkansas , Idaho , Indiana , Iowa , Kansas , Kentucky , Missouri , Montana , Nevada , North Dakota , Ohio , Oklahoma and Tennessee .
To denounce Jan . 6 while refusing to pass voting rights protections makes a mockery of America . It is hypocrisy on display . All politicians are tasked with upholding basic rights and freedoms for Americans – whether lawmakers in the Senate or leaders on the state level .
White supremacy invaded our Capitol on Jan . 6 . It continued to invade our lives through every television news and social media feed that replayed horrifying clips of insurrectionists flooding the halls of democracy . Now , white supremacy is brazenly re-invading our constitutional right to vote .
Any evil that wins at the ballot box has the potential to fuel the very worst of who we are , just as we witnessed one year ago when Trump spurred on insurrectionists . To effectively address the cause of Jan . 6 , we must collectively address how the attack – and the biased , violent rhetoric that propelled it – is impacting the very foundations of our democracy , beginning with our voting system .
On Jan . 6 , Georgia Gov . Brian Kemp called the insurrection “ disgraceful ” and “ un-American ,” adding that “ the rule of law matters .” Afterward , Texas Gov . Greg Abbott and Florida Gov . Ron DeSantis also spoke out against the insurrection .
In 2021 , state legislators introduced more than 440 voter suppression bills across the country . Thirty-four such laws were enacted in 19 states . The new year promises more of the same . I cannot imagine any greater threat to democracy than this calculated , methodical and steady unraveling of our Constitution .