“I am pleased to join Marcia Fudge, the Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, and my good friend, Steve Horsford, the Gentleman from Nevada, and I noticed that Don Payne is here. His father was a very close friend of mine, active some 45 years ago. So it’s good to see you here, Don. Hakeem Jeffries – two of our really great new members – I’m pleased to join you. “Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Congressional Black Caucus for organizing this special order. America’s greatest strength and its greatest gift to the world is our democratic system of government based on an equal voice for every citizen. It is what grants legitimacy to our laws and earns us respect from those in other parts of the world who yearn for the freedoms we enjoy. “For most of our history our democracy was deeply flawed, excluding women, African-Americans, Native Americans, and many others. But part of what makes America great is that we are constantly working to perfect our democracy by correcting such flaws. The Voting Rights [Act] of 1965 was a central part of that effort – and an incredibly successful one. “Before that legislation was enacted, millions [...]
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