Barber joins the president at site of historic civil rights eventPresident Joe Biden Sunday praised the courage of civil rights activists and condemned efforts to restrict voting and attack the election process in a speech commemorating the 58th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in Selma. The 2021 John Lewis Voting Rights Act, meant to strengthen the federal law, passed the U.S. House of Representatives later that year, but failed to overcome a Republican filibuster in the Senate. The president spoke about economic opportunity and medical access. It became a major catalyst for the Voting Rights Act, which led to free elections throughout the South for the first time in almost a century. Biden previously attended the ceremonies while serving as vice president in 2013, and as a presidential candidate in 2020.

Source: New York Times March 06, 2023 19:57 UTC