Last week, CWA members, staff, and retirees joined thousands of labor and civil rights activists in Washington, D.C., for the 63rd Anniversary of the March on Washington, commemorating the historic voter and worker rights march led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This year’s march, titled “March on Washington: Defend the Vote,” focused again on voting rights in the wake of the Supreme Court’s disastrous Louisiana vs. Callais ruling, which gutted voter protections.
The march was co-hosted by the National Action Network, led by Reverend Al Sharpton, and the Drum Major Institute, founded by Dr. King Jr. and currently led by his son, Martin Luther King III.
The Trump administration’s attempts to purge voter lists, encouragement of race-based gerrymandering in Republican-led states, attacks on voting by mail, election denialism, and insistence on voter fraud despite bipartisan agreement to the contrary amount to a concerted effort to undermine election integrity ahead of the November midterm elections. With working people facing an affordability crisis, President Trump’s approval rating is among the lowest for any second-term president. Should Democrats regain control of the House, many of his initiatives could face serious scrutiny.
March participants vowed to continue their vocal opposition to any tampering with the U.S. voter system or the disenfranchisement of voters.