Velazquez on Selma-Montgomery Marches

Washington, DC – Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) delivered the following remarks today at a press conference regarding the 47th anniversary of the Selma-Montgomery marches and an upcoming march, this year, to commemorate that civil rights milestone:

“’We are gathered here today, almost five decades after the original Selma to Montgomery marches. I’m proud to join arms with so many friends and colleagues – even some of those who marched, bled and risked their lives to make our Union more perfect. The upcoming march will commemorate and honor those who sacrificed so much 47 years, ago. But, this event will not only look back on past accomplishments – it will also highlight injustices we confront today.

“It is a sad irony that, as preparations are underway for this march, the most oppressive anti-immigration law in history is on the books in Alabama. The backward thinking law, HB56, is aimed at regulating every single element of a person’s life. It requires police officers to routinely check the identification of anyone who ‘looks’ like an immigrant.

“Now, I don’t know what an immigrant ‘looks’ like. I was born in Puerto Rico – part of the U.S. But, I wonder if the authors of this bill would have me stopped on the streets of Montgomery or Selma to demand my papers.

“Schools are checking and reporting the immigration status of their students. On the first Monday HB 56 went into effect 2,285 Latino students - out of 34,000 in the state - did not show up to school. Since when do we persecute children in this country? HB 56 is a giant step backwards for civil rights and for justice in this country.

“Just as we face new threats in the form of harsh, anti-immigration laws, the tired, old tools of voter suppression are reemerging. Last year, 34 states introduced legislation requiring photo IDs for one to be able to vote. The legislation was enacted in eight: Kansas, Mississippi, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and, yes, Alabama. These laws hearken back to the dark days of Jim Crow laws. While the mechanics of how they work may be different the goal is the same: disenfranchising certain Americans from the vote.

“We’re not being fooled -- the intent is not preventing voter fraud. The objective is marginalizing certain people – African Americans, Latinos, young voters, and the poor. Make no mistake -- these are the well worn instruments of oppression that have been used time and again by the powerful to maintain their status above the vulnerable.

“Forty seven years ago, brave men and women – black and white – risked their lives to defend the principle that all men are created equal. Today, we are here to reaffirm their sacrifice, to honor those who were there -- and to say the work continues.

“Today, oppression may come in the form of anti-immigration laws, but it is still wrong. The new policy may be photo ID requirements for voting, something more subtle than Jim Crow laws. But the goal of voter suppression remains reprehensible.

“Yet, just as there were brave Americans willing to stand up in 1965, we are all willing to continue the fight, today. We stand here -- black, white, Asian and Latino -- to say with one voice -- that inequality will not stand. Injustice will not prevail. The struggle goes on. The march continues… And we will never allow our nation to go back!”