Okay. See if they are out there. [ background noise ] janet has to be out there somewhere. [ laughing ] step back, please. Thank you. Thank you. Another that focuses on suicide prevention. Well also bring you a National Press club event with actor and veterans advocate gary senise. That begins at 1 00 p. M. Eastern here on cspan 3. Next a discussion on the history of the Voting Rights act from the obstacles africanamericans faced in the reconstruction era to the current status of Voting Rights after the Supreme Court ruling in Shelby County versus holder. The National Museum of africanamerican history and culture hosts this event. Its an hour and a half. It is such a pleasure to be here. I want to thank you so much for joining us in this celebration. Were here tonight to celebrate two important cornerstones of our democracy. One, of course, is the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights act and as mr. Ellis said, also the 75th anniversary of the Legal Defense fund, and i positioned them as two cornerstones of our democracy. One is obviously a law that helped to transform this country and provide the Legal Protections that allowed this democracy to evolve into what it is today. Still in progress, but its certainly better than it was, but with any law you need enforcers. With any law you need those who will protect that law who will enforce it, who will allow it to live out its fullness and i know that the Legal Defense fund has spent all of its days since the passable of the Voting Rights act working towards that goal and then many, many others. Im particularly proud to represent the Legal Defense fund tonight and to be pfr this wonderful collaboration with the smithsonian. Its truly a historic moment for a great many reasons, including the beautiful witnessing of the structure that is emerging across the way that will house the history of the people in this country who have done so much to bring its truths to reality. So many of you may know the Legal Defense fund for its masterminding and being the architects of brown versus board of education, but our legacy in the area of Voting Rights is equally powerful. For decades we have worked to enforce and expand the protections under the Voting Rights act which itself was enacted to enforce the 14th and 15th amendments. Weve done that for well over five decades. We played a vital role in the pivotal events that led to the passage of the Voting Rights act by representing the marchers. We were the legal team that worked with the marchers that worked with the late dr. Martin luther king in not only mapping out the logistics of the march but even the root of the march, and we have the historic order that allowed the march to go forward, posted on our website, and in the very materials that we handed out today. If you dont know about the history of selma, if you dont know about that birthplace of democracy, please take a moment and look at the materials that weve handed out. The booklet called selma. It gives you a glimpse into the history, a glimpse into some of the here wroes of the struggle to enact the Voting Rights act and to set this democracy in motion. Were proud to have participated in each of the four reauthorizations of the Voting Rights act. For those of you who know something about it, you know that all the provisions werent permanent when it was passed in 1965, and, therefore, we had to go in front of congress along with other civil rights allies and against those who department want to see our democracy progress as it has. We defended those provisions and we advocated for their longevity, and we were part of that struggle for four different reauthorizations, including the most recent one in 2006. We have litigated countless cases in the south and many of the states that mr. Ellis mentioned and others and in the north. There certainly has been Racial Discrimination and voting beyond the south, and we have been a large part of that struggle. We are argued in two Supreme Court cases. The most recent cases northwestern northwest municipal utility district number one versus holder, and then the Shelby County case, which well be talking a lot more about today. We litigated those cases, defending the constitutionality of one of the most powerful positions of the Voting Rights act, section five. It doesnt account for all the work that we did in working with the department of justice in the preclearance progress that allows the federal government intervene and preclear to judge whether any law thats about to be enacted may have a discriminatory impact on racial minorities. Thats a provision that is now defunct because of the Shelby County case, and its one that were hoping to resurrect and even make morrow bust. Ever since its passed we participated and represented plaintiffs. Plaintiff interveners. These are just the cases that were not settled out of court in some other way. Needless to say weve had a robust impact on the Voting Rights acts, enforcements, and the transformative change as its able to instigate in this country. We do this work because its essential to our democracy. Dwoe this work because we believe in the promise of empowering voters, empowering individuals to contribute to decision making, to the formation of law and policy. And so we are delighted to be part of the evening with the smithsonian and are very grateful for this partnership and collaboration. I especially want to thank the museums leadership, sheryl johnson, rex ellis Tasha Coleman and mcginnis. We also thank the president lonnie bunch, and none of this could have happened without the instrumental input of deirdre cross, who really was the visionary behind this who is the one who instigated this partnership that we formed around this event and that i hope will be lasting. Shes just been phenomenal. I also want to thank the many staff of the Legal Defense fund, and rex, you name them all for me. I appreciate you doing that. If you want to stand and be noticed for your work. We are all foot shoulders in this fight for democracy and justice. I want to show you some of this swrrgs of civil rights lawyers and what theyre doing. Thank you. One of the incredible outgrowths of having such an impact on the Voting Rights act and its enforcement is that we have helped to vult indicate and grow a Voting Rights bar, a bevy of attorneys who are experts in election law and the Voting Rights act and protecting voter rights, and those individuals have worked in the Legal Defense fund. Some have gone into governments and gone on to academia. We have an incredible roster of folks who have worked so hard and understand what it takes to maintain and advance a democracy, and we are proud to have been part of growing that group of individuals and growing beyond our offices. We have such a stellar lineup for you. I cant she of a better way to celebrate the 50th anniversary than with the panel that we have put together to have this robust engaging, provocative testimonial discussion about the Voting Rights act. I am going to introduce you to our illustrious panel. As i say your name, i invite you to come to the stage. I first introduced ari berman. Ari is a contributing writer at the nation. He is also the author of a new book that is coming out on august 4th and something im sure were going to hear about tonight. Its entitled give us the ballot, the modern struggle for Voting Rights in america. Welcome, ari berman. [ applause ] the next panelist i would like to introduce is spencer crew. Professor crew is a professor of heft at george mason university. He is also an alum of the National Museum of american history, and i want to welcome him to the panel to provide his historical insight. He is also the curator of an exhibit here, and i dont want to get the name wrong of the exhibit. Defining freedom, defending freedom, the era of segregation. Welcome, professor crew. [ applause ] would i next like to welcome Alabama State senator Henry Hank Sanders who has been serving the great state of alabama for over 30 years. Among his many, many, many accomplishments is something that its something i know the crowd will appreciate is one of the cofounders of slavery and Civil War Museum in selma, alabama. And last but certainly not least. A noted for this heavyweight panel, we had to bring out the big guns. We couldnt ask just anyone to moderate this panel. So we invited, and she graciously accepted donna brazil. So donna brazil is a renowned analyst and political strategist and author and cnn commentator and beltway insider, and we are thrilled to have her moderate this discussion. Thank you so much for enjoying for coming here to help you enjoy the night. [ applause ] thank you so much. Thank you for your leadership. I took away the chair so you can spread your wings. First of all, this is the book that mr. Berman has written due out on august 4th. I have an advanced copy. He will autography it woosh well give it to the museum. How is that . Thats how you make history. It was called the crown jewel of the civil rights movement. Wret, its been under attack. We have helped to eradicate many barriers. Perhaps we should start by telling a little bit more of its history, and then i have some really good questions for the panelists, and im going to open up the mike to many of you. Absolutely. I mean, we heard a lot about the Voting Rights act, but i thought you could expound. Theres a historian this the party. The group. Not the party. This is not a party. Not yet. Not yet. Good lord. Im from new orleans. Theres always a party. Alabama in the house and louisiana has to be here and mississippi is not far behind. All right. I thought maybe i should talk a little bit about that background that led up to the work they did starting back in 1940. Thank you. The idea that, in fact, we talk about the exhibition, and it looks at the reconstruction, and i think that the background to the work that the fund has had to do after that period after the civil war, for the passage of 14th and 15th amendment and the effort thereafter to try to negate it in different kinds of ways. I think the most important changes that took place during that period was that when they first tried to investigate how to apply the 15th amendment, what the Supreme Court responded back to say was that while you couldnt discriminate against somebody because of race or because of previous serve tud, if you found another device that didnt touch on those descriptors, then you could, in fact, affect the Voting Rights law. You have a series of new laws, the idea that you had to pay in order to have the right to vote, and think of yourself as a sharecropper in the south during this period, and have you to choose between do i pay to vote or feed my family . The choice is you feed your family. I think what the states understood is this is a way of doing it. Under this there was other devices that say it couldnt book because of your color, but saying you couldnt vote. Along with it were things like the test that means you had to read a United States constitution or state constitution or something to the satisfaction of the registrar of that state. And strangely enough, and im sure you all could figure this out, if you had a ph. D. If you were an africanamerican you couldnt read to the standards that were necessary. If you had a different kind of background you could. Again, it was a way of stopping people from voting without saying because youre africanamerican, you couldnt vote. Probably the most interesting device if your grandfather. Again, you couldnt vote going fourth it wasnt a slave you could vote thereafter. You had a series of vices put into place. Other important changes took place, which i think is a harbenger is the creation of the democratic primaries. Because they were privately run activities they could, in fact, exclude africanamericans from participating in those primaries. Since 1940 in the naacp argued with the state of texas that, in fact, this goes against the 15th amendment that you have from those early steps worth attacking this effort to discriminate against africanamericans without saying their name, but very directly pointing in the direction toward them. You think if you want to talk about the history of the defense fund, you have to think about what and the struggles that were before them, and the hard work and legal efforts that had to go into the beginning to find ways of overturning these activities. The other thing that was important to have happen is the change a bit in the climate and the nation. You needed to have a Supreme Court that was willing to begin to look at things slightly differently and beotology do it for years and years prior to that. At least beginning to consider the fact that africanamericans were citizens that had the right to vote. I think these changes are important shifts occurring in the atmosphere of the nation that are pushed along by the efforts of the defense fund and the legal community. Constantly saying this is not right. It was said earlier that you talk about democracy, but you dont have a real democracy because so much of your citizenship has been excluded for a hands to participate. Im going to followup with dr. Crew in a moment on the historical significance. Unless Congress Acts this year, the United States could be facing its first president ial election in 2016 without the full protection of section four or section five on the Voting Rights act so, what should Voting Rights advocates be doing now to prepare for this, and how can we work to insure that the impact does not have a more detrimental impact on minority voting strength in the next election . Thank you so much for that question, and thank you for that wonderful history. I should just ask if there are people who are standing there, there are seats here in the front row. Please come on down and sit in the front row. Were not going to use those seats. Come on. You are quite right that the Supreme Courts decision in the Shelby County case, which is decided in 2013 really has changed the way in which probably everyone in this room has become accustomed to the protections of the Voting Rights act for 48 years, and with the stroke of a pen, the Supreme Court changed that, and when they changed it in the opinion by the chief justice, john roberts, they changed it on his presumption, and the presumption of the four other justices who joined him on the presumption that, you know, things have changed so much in this country. Changed so much from the history that was just described that we no longer need the protection of the Voting Rights act and the core protection of the Voting Rights act that was at issue was this preclearance provision, this provision that requires that certain jurisdictions in the country preclear any voting changes that they wish to make with the federal authority either the attorney general of the United States or a federal judge before they enact those changes. Those changes might be changing how you elect judges. It might be moving polling places. It might be restrictions on early voting. It might be changing voter id laws. All of those things had been attempted in the past, but they had to be precleared by the Justice Department. By the way, many had been preleader. Many forms of voter id were, in fact, precleared by the Justice Department. After the Shelby County decision, we saw a real sea change happen. I northeast will forget the state of florida saying after its decision were free and clear now. It was like it was like a free for all. Im sure you have all see a wave of new Voter Suppression laws that have taken place all over the country. Not only in the jurisdictions that were covered by the preclearance provision, but all over the country. You talked about were we always look at the micro its going to be you forget that the water district. You know, i always remember ettawa county, alabama. Every county and probably to you and me maybe that doesnt sound like even the power we want to control. Controlling conditions controls, you know, where the supermarket ends up. All over this country, especially in the south over the lives of latin american and latino people. We already have that connection. This is a storm were in the middle of, and i have an obligation to remember the history. The history that a Federal District judge in texas just last november because we challenge texass new voter id law, and what she called it this is not me saying it. A Federal District judge called texass new voter id law the most restrictive in the country. Tex