Pelosi Floor Remarks in Support of Legislation to Honor the Foot Soldiers of Selma with a Congressional Gold Medal
Contact: Drew Hammill, 202-226-7616
Washington, D.C. – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi delivered remarks today on the House floor in support of legislation to honor the Foot Soldiers of Selma with a Congressional Gold Medal. Below are the Leader's remarks:
"Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentlewoman from Alabama, Congresswoman Terri Sewell, for her leadership in introducing and driving forth this legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the foot soldiers of Selma who fought for African Americans' right to vote. Thank you for the recognition to speak.
"It's very interesting and moving and inspiring to listen to the debate on this legislation, to hear the Majority Leader and others of the Congress talk about how important what happened at Selma was to our country and what promise it made for the future of our country. I would hope that the logical conclusion of that, when we've seen people who were beaten and, in some instances at that time, killed fighting for the right to vote, that we would truly honor them not only with a gold medal, as wonderful as that is, but by passing the Voting Rights Act on the floor of the House.
"Today, listening to our colleagues, I'm reminded of a day almost a year ago – it was around March of last year – when we dedicated the statue of Rosa Parks in the Capitol of the United States. How exciting: an African American woman to join the ranks of all those men out there, many more striving to bring diversity, recognizing the great leadership of Rosa Parks. While we were there, that very day, dedicating the statue of Rosa Parks, across the street at the Supreme Court, they were hearing the arguments on the voting rights case. It seems to me it would have been so logical for us to be supporting the spirit of the Voting Rights Act. Of course the Court acted, and the Congressional Black Caucus took the lead; many of us stood on the steps while the oral arguments were going on, later came here to dedicate the statue. But there seemed to be a total disconnect between those speaking in a bipartisan way about Rosa Parks and how important it was to our country and the fact that the Court was going to overturn a piece of the Voting Rights Act and that we, one year later, have done nothing to correct that.
"So while it's beautiful and lovely to hear all the good words, and it's fabulous for us to be awarding this gold medal, frankly, I think the Foot Soldiers of Selma bring added luster to the gold medal as we honor them with it. As we all know, this marks the 50th anniversary of two exceptional events in American history: the March on Selma and the passage of the Voting Rights Act. Fifty years ago, as we all know, thousands of people, students, scholars, homemakers and laborers, members of the clergy, Greek Orthodox Church – very prominently there – and many other heroes marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama.
"Today the undaunted dignity and courage of the men and women who marched continue to inspire our nation, in fact, on the floor of the House today. Hopefully that inspiration will rise to a place in this House where we vote on the Voting Rights Act. [Congressman] John Lewis, who was there, has been acclaimed by all of us a national treasure and national hero. What an honor it is to serve with him in Congress and to call him colleague. The journey from Selma to Montgomery is more than 50 miles but fatigue did not stop the marchers. State Troopers used tear gas and night sticks, hatred, violence and injuries did not stop them. Those brave foot soldiers, propelled by their faith in our country to live up to its promise, continued to march because they knew the power of the ballot.
"How proud all of us are, again, to serve in the House alongside Congressman John Lewis, the conscience of the Congress, who was one of the young leaders of the march of opportunity and equality, toward justice, toward the ballot box.
"The bravery of the Selma marchers summoned action, a week after Bloody Sunday, President Lyndon Baines Johnson came to this chamber, right there, to call on Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act – a week after the march, Bloody Sunday. And he said at the time: ‘At times history and fate meet at a single time in a single place to shape a turning point in man's unending search for freedom,' he said. ‘So it was at Lexington and Concord. So it was … at Appomattox. So it was … in Selma, Alabama.'
"And so the courage of 8,000 marchers transformed a bridge into a national symbol of how justice can conquer the status quo. Today that steel-arched bridge of the Alabama River illustrates Dr. King's observation that we quote all the time: ‘The arc of [the moral universe] is long, but it bends toward justice.'
"And today we propose to honor the Foot Soldiers of the Selma marches with a Congressional Gold Medal by accepting our own responsibility to keep bending, pulling, nudging that arc toward justice. One way we can do that is by passing the Voting Rights Act. Just to recall, Mr. Speaker, the last time we brought up the Voting Rights Act, in 2007 – 2006 we put it together – the Senate passed it unanimously. Unanimously. And in the House the vote was 390 to 33. There is bipartisan legislation introduced which can be brought to the floor, passed, and passed and signed into law in time for the Selma anniversary next month, and certainly must be passed before the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights Act on August 6 – the 50th anniversary.
"We must do so to push back the same old, stale, dressed-up and renamed efforts to hamper voting access and hinder progress. So today as we celebrate the Foot Soldiers, we pay homage, we reach deep inside us to say how inspired we all were by it, and isn't it wonderful. Let's look to the ‘now' and say, right now: to honor these people, we must pass the Voting Rights Act again to correct what the court did. So as we pay tribute to the Foot Soldiers who kept on marching, we move forward from a painful past and march into a brighter, fairer future for everyone.
"Again, thank you, Congresswoman Sewell, for your leadership on this important issue. I yield back."
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