Hundreds of Arizonans gathered to mark the 58th anniversary of the “I Have a Dream” speech Saturday in Phoenix and rallied for equal voting rights among all Americans as recent state legislatures passed bills restricting voting abilities earlier this year.
Arizona was just one of 94 other marches that happened on Saturday morning, including events in Washington D.C., Atlanta, and Florida. “March On for Voting Rights” was the organization that led these events.
“This event and all the marches across the country are aiming to demand for our elected officers to protect democracy and to pass the For the People Act,” said spoken word performer Ema Angulo Rodriguez at Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church.
The For the People Act (H.R. 1), which passed the House in 2019, expands voting accessibility for all people, outlaws gerrymandering of congressional districts and forces federal campaigns to be more transparent in their spending, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.
This bill in combination with the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which passed through the House on August 25, would strengthen and protect the Voting Rights Act of 1964 if passed. They are both awaiting Senate approval.
Saturday’s nationwide event had speakers and expert panels discussing the challenges marginalized groups encounter during the voting process.
“Changing the ability to vote from home or vote by mail will disenfranchise any number of voters, especially voters with disabilities,” Arizona Democratic House Rep. Jen Longdon said.
According to the CDC, one in four Americans live with a disability which makes it imperative that voting rights access remains inclusive, Longdon says.
Longdon was one of four members on a panel at the event. Tribal representatives were also present on the panel to advocate for an expansion of voting rights.
“The Tribal Nations are marginalized. They have barriers upon barriers. They don’t have access to the internet,” said Roicia Banks, president and owner of Social Roots and a local Hopi native.
According to the Federal Communications Commission, more than 68 percent of Americans living on Tribal lands in rural areas lack access to advanced telecommunications capability. This can hinder the Native American population from voting as internet access is a crucial part of registering to vote.
While it is an option to register to vote in person, the locations are limited to state or local elections offices or public facilities like the department of motor vehicles. Most of these are not within a reasonable distance from Native Reservations.
Tribal communities don’t have street signs or individual mailboxes either, making it difficult for the 22 federally recognized tribes in Arizona to equally have their voice heard, said Maricopa County Judge Deborah Begay.
Another theme of this event was reflecting on the 58 years that have passed since Martin Luther King Jr. gave his renowned “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington.
“Every week or so I’m reminded about that grand day in August,” Lee Earl Robson, 95, who attended Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech in 1963 said. “When I see children of all different colors playing together or I meet a black doctor or a black lawyer or maybe I’m watching television and something about President Obama comes up and I just say, ‘Lord look how far we’ve come.’”
“But other times I think about that young man in Minneapolis,” said Robson, referring to George Floyd. “He cried out for his mama with his last breath of life. I say, ‘Lord look how far we’ve got to go.’”
Contact the reporter emwillar@asu.edu.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misspelled Rep. Jen Longdon’s name. The story has been updated with the correct spelling.
