NANCY LEIFER, CLARE KEARNS and MARGARET BRENTWOOD
On Jan. 18 we commemorate the civil rights achievements of the late Martin Luther King, Jr. This year we can also commemorate the late Congressman John L. Lewis by asking our Congressional delegation to support the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA).
Martin Luther King, Jr., worked tirelessly to pass the 1965 Voting Rights Act, considered to be the most effective piece of federal civil rights legislation ever enacted. It prohibited racial discrimination in voting and secured the right to vote of racial minorities, including American Indians. Congressman John Lewis, who marched with Dr. King, worked tirelessly to pass the VRAA because it would restore the protections of the 1965 Voting Right Act (VRA).