Harris says to 'truly honor' the legacy of MLK, voting rights legislation must pass


Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday urged the Senate to "do its job" and pass voting rights legislation.
Harris marked Martin Luther King Jr. Day by appearing virtually at an event hosted by the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. In a pointed message, Harris said that in order to "truly honor the legacy of the man we celebrate today, we must continue to fight for the freedom to vote, for freedom for all."
King pushed for "the freedom that unlocks all others — the freedom to vote," Harris continued, and that is now "under assault. In Georgia and across our nation, anti-voter laws are being passed that could make it more difficult for as many as 55 million Americans to vote — 55 million Americans. That is one out of six people in our country."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act would expand voting access and prevent voting restrictions from being enacted at the state level. In the last year, several Republican state legislatures have passed strict voting restrictions, and Harris said now is not the time to be "complacent or complicit. We must not give up, and we must not give in."
Senate Republicans are blocking voting rights legislation in the chamber, claiming it's a power grab, and last week President Biden said he supports changing filibuster rules in order to work around them. Two Democrats, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, quickly voiced their opposition.
Ahead of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day D.C. Peace Walk on Monday, King's eldest son, Martin Luther King III, said Democrats were "successful with infrastructure, which was a great thing. But we need you to use that same energy to ensure that all Americans have the unencumbered right to vote."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariffs
Speed Read He accused Brazil's current president of leading a 'witch hunt' against far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
How will Trump's megabill affect you?
Today's Big Question Republicans have passed the 'big, beautiful bill' through Congress
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation