Civil and Human Rights Coalition Joins Journey for Justice Advocacy Day in Washington

WASHINGTON – Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement following the NAACP’s America’s Journey for Justice’s arrival in Washington, D.C., the final destination of a 1,000-mile march from Selma, Alabama. Today The Leadership Conference is joining an expected 1,000 participants for a rally and legislative advocacy day on Capitol Hill to deliver to Congress the message of the journey: “our lives, our votes, our jobs, and our schools matter:”

“Today is not only the culmination of a historic 1,000 mile march from Selma, it’s the continuation of a march for civil and human rights that began generations ago. We applaud the unwavering strength and courage of all the men and women who joined this journey in the name of equality and freedom, and we are proud to call on Congress to protect the fundamental rights and dignity of each and every American.

In the half-century since blood was spilled on the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma, our nation has witnessed rampant racial profiling and discrimination in our criminal justice system, widening economic and educational disparities, and the loss of crucial voting rights protections.  We should not have to demand the right to vote again. It is unacceptable for the United States, the greatest democracy on earth, to have weaker voting protections than it did half a century ago.

We can’t continue to turn the clock back on progress.  Congress must restore the Voting Rights Act, it must fix our criminal justice system, and it must work to ensure that all children receive the quality education they need and deserve. It’s time for Congress to get to work on making our country a more fair and just nation for all people.”

Wade Henderson is the president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.