Article by:
U.S. Representative Steven Horsford
In 2023, our rights, history, and culture are all under attack. 58 years after the signing of the Voting Rights Act, our democracy is being threatened from every angle. These attacks are coordinated, well-funded, and coming from every direction. Black Americans are under attack, and we cannot and will not stand idly by. As Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), I am leading my colleagues as we push back on these attacks and energize our community to be vocal, be organized, and to turn out and vote like never before.
To that end, the Congressional Black Caucus Institute organized “Democracy for the People” - a national tour that has brought us to 10 cities around the country, including Las Vegas. During these events, we held town halls with the community and trained people in our communities to lead and organize. In each city, several members of the CBC joined local community leaders to talk about the challenges we are facing now. We even had Vice President Kamala Harris join us for the event in Boston.
In recent months, we have seen the erosion of our rights. In the wake of the death of Tyre Nichols and a school shooting in a Nashville school that left three students and three staff members dead, the citizens of Tennessee demanded action from the state’s legislature to prevent further tragedies. When three of the elected State Representatives demanded action on the floor of their chamber, they were threatened with expulsion. In the end, the white woman was sparred expulsion, but the two young black men were removed from the legislature.
Add to that the works of state legislatures to create more roadblocks for working people and people of color to vote. Or the efforts of local school boards and state bodies to rewrite and often erase the history of Black people in the United States. They don’t want to tell the truth about the horrors and pain of slavery, a stain on our nation’s history. Instead, they want to teach our children that slavery was some sort of work training program.
And the Supreme Court has taken away a tool that has helped ensure well-qualified students had access to some of the best schools in our country, ensuring just the wealthy and the children of alumni weren’t the only ones at these colleges and universities. And when the court told Alabama and Louisiana that their congressional maps must reflect the diverse populations of those states, the leaders in those states chose instead to ignore the court.
Together, our community can combat these attacks. Through our Democracy for the People tour and training, and the voice of our members in the Congressional Black Caucus, we can protect the rights of our community. And together, we will save our democracy, for the people.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Representative Horsford is a proven champion for Nevada’s working families. In the 118th Congress, he is committed to crushing the coronavirus, getting Nevada's economy back on track, and restoring public faith in American institutions. Most recently a small business owner, in partnership with Intel, Horsford worked to bring the first of its kind workforce development program for youth and young adults to North Las Vegas. He helped to launch a food recovery program with Three Square and major employers like MGM Resorts to address food insecurity among needy children, families, and seniors. He brings a principled focus on job creation, community development and skills development to Congress. Born and raised in Las Vegas to an immigrant mother, Rep. Horsford has worked hard to raise and nurture his three children. If you would like additional information, please visit https://horsford.house.gov.
