LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, issued this statement after she and several members of the Black Women’s Roundtable met with Vice President Kamala Harris to discuss the nationwide assault on voting rights:
“Earlier this week, after President Biden addressed the nation on voting rights, we urged his administration to prove its commitment to combating voter suppression and lay out a strategy to restore ballot access. Today’s meeting with Vice President Harris marked an important step toward building that strategy.
“The fight for voting rights has never been more important than right now. With officials rushing proposals to kill voting power at the local, state, and federal levels, Americans — particularly Black Americans whose communities have long been disenfranchised — are combating a trifecta of voter suppression efforts. Countless Americans have fought, been arrested, and died for the right to vote, and this administration owes them a forceful and urgent response to the nationwide assault on voting rights.
“The White House has the authority — and the obligation — to champion legislation that safeguards our most basic right as citizens of a democracy: the right to vote. While we’re encouraged by today’s meeting with Vice President Harris and appreciate her leadership and willingness to meet with activists, we still expect President Biden to put the full weight of his office behind HR1 and HR4 and remove any barriers to protecting our elections — even if that means ending the filibuster.”
