56th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act

56 years ago today, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act, which prohibited racial discrimination in voting. Watch his speech on the historic legislation.

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[tmodakathemasterofdisaster]

Crazy that it was ONLY 56 years ago that this happened. America’s racist past isn’t that far in the past, and the effects of such a past are still as alive today as they were back then.

[kishona]

"Yet to seize the meaning of today, we must recall darker times".

A very, very powerful statement.

[jurassictyrantkingYT]

56 years it's been awhile since the Voting Rights Act was passed and Signed by President LBJ. I got to admit maybe we should consider making Election Day a national holiday. It is only right for everybody to have the right to vote.

[appv]

LBJ was a good guy. He acted out rather than to talk

[yomama]

And may we just take a minute to remember Lyndon Johnson was a Texan.

[jeananthony]

I remember overhearing my parents talk about it. I also remember them going to meetings to prepare them to go vote. I remember feelings of cautious excitement and fear during that time. I'm 68 years old. What do you remember?

[josiahwest]

Shame the GOP is trying to go back 57 years...

[rebeccaainslie]

This should be mandatory course in all schools!

Such a powerful speech. 👏
Still easily applicable to today's issues.

[mohammadforouzan]

All people should be respected because before any color and race, everyone is human and they breathe the air like everyone else

[Danskadreng]

The USA became a democracy 56 years ago

[johnmichael]

So this was just 57 years ago ???? My God 😔

[fredrik]

He sounds precisely as I imagined it in my head.

[stewartbuford]

The best President we ever had! Johnson did not play!❤

[jdmmg]

It's just crazy to think it hasn't even been in place for 60 years.

[oppenheimerfaaaaaan]

RIP voting right act
August 6th 1965 ‐ June 25th 2013

[Pnwrat]

Here they thought that the last major shackle was ending there.

[jessetorres]

Republican Presidential candidates have won at least 50% of the popular vote in only 2 of the past 9 Presidential Elections, and yet thanks to the Electoral College Republicans have been elected in 4 of the past 9 elections, as well as have put 15 of the past 19 Justices on the Supreme Court. Additionally, in most swing states Democratic House and Senate candidates combined tend to get more votes then Republican 1s, and yet thanks to gerrymandering and restrictive voting measures those same swing states tend to have more Republicans elected to the House and Senate. Furthermore, most average working people can't afford to take time off from work during a weekday to go get a state licensed id or go wait in line for hours to vote on Election Day. Finally, in the Senate both political parties love to bring up the filibuster when it's convenient for them yet there is no filibuster in the House mainly because having it would hold back most legislation voted on. Long story short, our current system of a democratic republic doesn't work and won't work unless we abolish the Electoral College, enact term limits on the House, Senate, and Courts like we do for the President and most Governors, have a nonpartisan organization divide up districts and ensure everyone who eligible to vote can do so by mail or a nearby voting place, make Election Day a federal paid time off holiday so everyone has the chance to go vote, and abolish the filibuster in the Senate and just have a simple majority rule to pass every legislation there!

[dariogomes]

They don't change the core team that's what i would like to vote on

[sfa]

I’m looking forward to the day that Election Day becomes a national holiday