FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, January 19
Contact: Logan Smith
[email protected]
202-709-8825
Bend the Arc statement on obstruction of the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act
Days after MLK Day march for voting rights, Senate Republicans, Manchin & Sinema side with the legacy of bigoted politicians who sought to limit the ballot, limit civil rights, and limit our democracy
WASHINGTON -- Rabbi Jason Kimelman-Block, Washington Director of Bend the Arc: Jewish Action released the following statement on Wednesday in response to Senate Republicans succeeding in blocking a vote on the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act:
“By siding with Republicans against the changes necessary to pass these crucial voter protections, Senators Manchin and Sinema have chosen to empower the partisan politicians working to sabotage fair elections, disenfranchise voters, and overturn the will of the people. At the end of the day they chose to side with an onslaught of anti-voter laws silencing the voices of Americans across the country — the legacy of generations of bigoted politicians who sought to limit the ballot, limit civil rights, and limit our democracy. Shame on them all.
The dream to make the promise of democracy real for every person in this country, regardless of race, class, or zip code, marches on. Our multiracial Jewish American community will continue working together to demand that Congress and the Biden administration use all available options to protect the freedom to vote and our ability to have a say in the decisions that affect our lives.
We know that a country where corrupt politicians and pundits invert truth, subvert elections, and incite violence is not a safe society for our diverse Jewish community. We can not be silent, nor will we despair; we rise in solidarity to build a country where all are safe and free.”
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action is uniting a movement of tens of thousands of progressive Jews across the country who are fighting for justice and equality for all. We are the only national Jewish organization focused exclusively on social change in the United States.
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