Contributed photo State Rep. Garland Pierce speaks during a Wednesday news conference commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. -
RALEIGH — State Rep. Garland Pierce and fellow members of North Carolina Legislative Black Caucus commemorated the 50th anniversary of the signing of the 1965 Voting Rights Acts in a Wednesday news conference.
“On the 50th anniversary of this extraordinary event in our nation’s history, let us remember all the men and women and their contributions to making America a more just and fair society,” Pierce said. “We also acknowledge that there is still work to be done.”
Pierce, D-Scotland, is the caucus chairman and a six-term lawmaker representing Richmond, Scotland, Hoke and Robeson counties in House District 48.
“The Voting Rights Act has had a transformative impact on the political landscape of our country. It has led to the election of women, minorities and those who were historically disenfranchised and denied the right to vote,” said Sen. Floyd B. McKissick Jr., D-Durham.
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the landmark Voting Rights Act into law on Aug. 6, 1965. For decades before its enactment, states had used laws — including literacy tests, grandfather clauses and poll taxes — to prevent African-Americans from voting.
“Voting is fundamental to our democracy,” Pierce said. “In 2013, the Supreme Court struck down a core provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, just as numerous states like North Carolina are passing restrictive voter identification laws to suppress the turnout of young people, students, poor citizens, the elderly and African-Americans.”
The N.C. Legislative Black Caucus is an association of senators and representatives of African-American and Native American heritage. The group’s primary purpose is to allow African-Americans and people of color residing in North Carolina to exercise their political power in a unified manner.