Boyd Calls for Renewed National Commitment to Passage of Bill Banning Unconstitutional Suppression of Voting Rights

January 17, 2022 - For Immediate Release

“Today, January 17, 2022, I am calling for renewed national commitment to passage of the bill banning unconstitutional state and local measures aimed at suppressing voting rights security in many jurisdictions,” John W. Boyd, president of the National Black Farmers Association declared. "Holding up the passing of this very important bill is deplorable.''

 The Voting Rights Act that President Lyndon Johnson signed into law on August 6, 1965 seems to be more under siege than ever as conservative forces work to undercut the democracy that Dr. King, Congressman John Lewis and all the other warriors suffered and bled to make whole almost sixty years ago.

Senators Joe Manchin (D) and Krysten Sinema (D) along with the entire Senate must do what is right for Black Americans who were denied equality under unconstitutional laws for nearly a century.  The lesson for all Americans at this critical time in our history should be a reminder that America’s highest ideals of justice and equality have never been permanent or secure in the face of racial prejudice, entitlement and lopsided morality.

We need permanent establishment and reliable enforcement of protections against interference with the longstanding laws.

 If the 1870 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, had been enforced, forbidding denial of a citizen’s right to vote on the basis of race,  there would have been no Bloody Sunday, no Selma March and no need for further legislation in 1965.

If all we needed were laws on the books, racism could not have blocked Black people from the polls for over a century. Even the 24th Amendment to the Constitution, outlawing poll taxes and other barriers in 1964, could not prevent the deplorable efforts we see in today’s creative but unspeakable efforts to limit voter equality and undercut fair elections.

Historians often point out the fact that less than a week after Johnson signed the 1965 Voting Rights Law, Watts, Los Angeles exploded  in one of history’s largest Black uprisings. The violent outburst lasted nearly a week and destroyed much of the ghetto that racism created. Looking back, it could be said that the folks in Watts and in scores of other burning cities back then had reason to be disappointed and distrusting when they expressed their anger with fire.  

Laws will never make the United States the country it claims to be if they are not accepted, embraced and treated as applying equally to everyone. 

For interviews, please contact John Boyd at JohnWesleyBoydJr@gmail.com or at (804) 691-8528.

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