CDR – Joins 100 Organizations for the MLK Jr Day of Action asking Congress to Pass Voting Rights Bills – No Celebration Without Legislation – January 2022

The Center for Disability Rights is honored to be one of the 100 partners for the No Celebration Without Legislation Campaign in connection with our continued work on racial justice and ending voter suppression. In early December a group of civil and human rights organizations got together and decided to join with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s family for a national mobilization action for the passage of two imperative voting rights bills the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act in the US Senate.

There will be two in-person events one on Saturday, January 15th in Arizona and the other on Monday, January 17th in Washington, DC.

From the website: deliverforvotingrights.com

We are asking President Biden and Congress to end the filibuster and deliver on voting rights now. Our right to vote can’t wait.

President Biden and Congress invested trillions in bridges, roads and trains. Now voters are demanding that they pass national voting rights legislation and deliver for democracy.

This year for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we are focusing on action. Martin Luther King III, Andrea Waters King and Yolanda Renee King along with faith leaders, civil rights leaders and voting rights advocates will join together to demand voting rights legislation now.

Our leaders have a historic opportunity to restore and protect our right to vote by passing the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

*Please go to the website for details on the events and updates!

From the press release:

Martin Luther King III and Over 100 National and Grassroots Groups Announce MLK Day Mobilizations Calling for No Celebration Without Voting Rights Legislation

MLK Day Holiday Will Send Clear Message to President Biden and Congress: You Delivered for Bridges, Now Deliver for Voting Rights

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Martin Luther King III, Arndrea Waters King and Yolanda Renee King, alongside dozens of national and grassroots organizations representing millions of voters nationwide, announced mobilizations on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to restore and expand voting rights to honor Dr. King’s legacy. The actions will call on President Biden and the Senate to urgently pass federal voting rights legislation, including the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and ensure the Jim Crow filibuster doesn’t stand in the way.

Watch the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Announcement Video Here and Find Photos Here

Full Press Release: Please find the press release here.

More Press
• New York Times, Carl Hulse: “King Family and Activists Plan Marches to Spur Action on Voting Rights.”
• Axios, Sophia Cai:: “MLK family: ‘No celebration without legislation’”
• Daily Beast, Ursula Perano: “In January, Martin Luther King Jr.’s family is using his birthday and the federal holiday to push for Congress to pass voting rights legislation.”

The Center for Disability Rights envisions a society in which people with disabilities enjoy full integration, independence, and civil rights. CDR works for national, state, and local systemic change to advance the rights of people with disabilities by supporting direct action, coalition building, community organizing, policy analysis, litigation, training for advocates, and community education. CDR is committed to working every day to establish this new world order and build a more-just and inclusive society.

For more information on the federal voting rights policy work being done by CDR please contact Dara Baldwin, MPA – Director of National Policy – dara.baldwin@ncdr.us