- Visit the March On for Voting Rights Flagstaff page on Facebook.
- Hundreds of thousands to rally across the country to protest a wave of voter suppression laws sweeping the nation. The events also kick off a national online drive to register 2 million voters.
- Arizona civil rights leader Pastor Warren Stewart, Sr., who helped create a MLK Holiday in Arizona, slated to appear at Saturday event
- Newly appointed AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler to deliver keynote. Shuler made history last week becoming the first female president of one of the nation’s most powerful labor unions.
PHOENIX — On August. 28, March On for Voting Rights rallies marking the 58th anniversary of the historic March on Washington will take place in Phoenix and cities nationwide to demand Congress act to protect the right to vote in the face of hundreds of proposed voter suppression bills by state GOP lawmakers.
The national rallies, which also include gatherings in Flagstaff and Eloy, will mark the kickoff of Registration Nation, a mass grassroots campaign to sign up two million voters online ahead of the mid-term elections in November 2022.
The rally in Phoenix will start at 9 a.m. at Pilgrim’s Rest Baptist Church, 1401 E Jefferson Street. COVID-19 safety protocols will be strictly observed. The church holds 3,000, but attendance will be limited to 600 people. Audience members will be seated six feet apart and in only every other pew. All attendees will be required to wear face masks. Free face masks and hand sanitizer will be provided. (NOTE: Pilgrim Rest is utilizing these protocols for its weekly church services.)
House Democrats passed legislation this week named for the late Georgia Congressman John Lewis. If it becomes law, H.R. 4 would reinstate the federal preclearance provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which was gutted by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2013. The For the People Act passed the House in the spring but remains stalled in the Senate, S.1, would end partisan gerrymandering, mandate automatic voter registration, 15 days of early voting, no-excuse mail-in voting, and the disclosure of big money political donors.
Both bills are vital to the protection of voting rights, which are under attack nationwide, including Arizona, Georgia, Texas, and Florida.
The Phoenix event will coincide with events scheduled in Washington, D.C., and other cities across the nation, and will feature a diverse array of speeches, presentations, live performances, poetry and more. Check here for a full list of rally locations and schedules.
In Arizona, Flagstaff will host an outdoor rally on August 28, 2 to 6 p.m., at the Market of Dreams, 2532 E. 7th Avenue. In Eloy, a rally will be held outdoors at Eloy City Hall, 595 North C Street beginning at 9 a.m.
“We’re looking forward to standing in solidarity with voting rights defenders in Arizona and across the country,” said Eloy’s rally organizer, Andrea Varela of Rural Arizona Engagement.
Since January, 49 states have introduced more than 400 bills with provisions restricting voting rights, according to the non-partisan Brennan Center for Justice. “Eighteen states have already enacted 30 laws this year that will make it harder for Americans to vote,” the BCJ reports.
“Let’s be clear about what’s happening,” said Alejandro Chavez, grandson of the civil rights leader, Cesar Chavez, and deputy state director for March On for Voting Rights. “They’re targeting certain communities, Black, Brown, people with disabilities, even senior citizens, who when they get to vote they make a huge difference in an election. That’s why we’re rallying. That’s why we’re marching for voting rights.”
Registration Nation is a first-of-its-kind mass digital voter registration campaign, said Project Director Itohan Ighodaro.
“About 40 states in the country, plus Washington, D.C., have online voter registration,” she said. “Our goal is to identify people in those states, especially in marginalized communities, who are not registered to vote and make sure they get to the polls.”
Rev. Warren H. Stewart Sr., senior pastor at First Institutional Baptist Church, is among the speakers slated to appear at the Phoenix March On for Voting Rights rally. Stewart was a leading figure in the successful fight to adopt a state holiday in Arizona honoring Martin Luther King, Jr.
“There is an open attack of voters of color underway and the voter suppression bills being pursued are acts of revenge for the way we the people came out to vote in 2020,” said Stewart. “These laws are intended to turn back the hands of time. We cannot go in reverse when it comes to voting and civil rights in the United States of America, and that’s where we’re headed right now. That’s why we must remember, now more than ever, Dr. King’s dream and fight for equality.”
LULAC National Vice President Richard Estrada of Tucson said, “This is our response to voter suppression efforts overtaking our legislatures. It’s an attack on communities of color, an attack on the ideals and values we hold sacred as Americans.”
March On for Voting Rights is sponsored by March On, SEIU, National Action Network, Future Coalition, and the Drum Major Institute, which was founded by Martin Luther King, Jr. and is dedicated to the King legacy of addressing racial injustice through peaceful solutions. (See detailed organization descriptions below.)
NOTE: Check out these FAQs about March On for Voting Rights and the August 28, 1963 March on Washington.
Visit the March On for Voting Rights Phoenix page on Facebook.
WHAT: March On for Voting Rights – Phoenix, AZ
WHEN: Saturday, August 28, 2021. Start time is 9 a.m.
WHO: March On, SEIU, National Action Network, Future Coalition, the Drum Major Institute
WHERE: Pilgrim’s Rest Baptist Church, 1401 E Jefferson St., Phoenix, AZ.
Interview and Video Footage: Media is welcome and encouraged to interview, photograph, and capture b-roll during the event.
On-site contacts in Phoenix: Zulema Rodriguez and Alejandro Chavez. Reach out to James Garcia at jgcvm1@gmail.com or 602-460-1374 for interviews with Zulema or Alejandro.
About March On
March On is a political organization composed of women-led political activist groups that grew out of the women’s marches of January 21, 2017. They have come together as a united force to take concrete, coordinated actions at the federal, state, and local levels to impact elections and move the country in a progressive direction. For more information, visit wearemarchon.org.
About the Drum Major Institute
The Drum Major Institute advances the core mission of our founder, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to assure that the arc of the moral universe continues to bend toward justice. Dr. King’s legacy and voice are as important today as they were upon our founding 60 years ago. To meet this historic moment, we are lending our unique ability to facilitate dialogue and collaboration to support the countless courageous acts of individuals and organizations across the nation and the world to ensure that the vital conversations that are now starting will sustain and advance far beyond this moment in time—and lead to tangible lasting outcomes. We encourage all people to embrace their role in the King legacy, take action in their community and strive to build the Beloved Community. Learn more at drummajorinst.org.
About SEIU
Service Employees International Union is an organization of 2 million members united by the belief in the dignity and worth of workers and the services they provide and dedicated to improving the lives of workers and their families and creating a more just and humane society. For more information, visit https://www.seiu.org/.
About National Action Network
National Action Network is one of the leading civil rights organizations in the Nation with chapters throughout the entire United States. Founded in 1991 by Reverend Al Sharpton, NAN works within the spirit and tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to promote a modern civil rights agenda that includes the fight for one standard of justice, decency, and equal opportunities for all people regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, citizenship, criminal record, economic status, gender, gender expression, or sexuality. For more information, visit https://nationalactionnetwork.net/
About Future Coalition
Founded by youth activists for youth activists, Future Coalition is a network and community for youth-led organizations and Gen Z and young millennial leaders from across the country that came into being as a project of March On in the fall of 2018. Future Coalition works collaboratively to provide young people with the resources, tools, and support they need to create the change they want to see in their communities and in this country. For more information, visit futurecoalition.org