On Saturday, August 1, I joined activists from across the country and various backgrounds in Selma, Alabama to begin a journey for justice to Washington, D.C. demanding greater economic, social, and environmental justice. Led by NAACP President Cornell William Brooks, this coalition included everyone from Selma Mayor George Evans to Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL7) to U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (OR). It included partners from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Communication Workers of America, and more.
Why Selma? Fifty years ago, Martin Luther King Jr.’s civil rights organization made Selma, Alabama, the focus of its efforts to register black Southern voters. They marched from Selma to the state capital of Montgomery, facing violent resistance by state and local authorities. The historic march helped raise awareness of the difficulty faced by black voters in the South, and the need for voting rights. Voting rights ensure all citizens the basic ability to select representatives who decide land-use policy; environmental protections; labor laws; and equal protection under the law.
Later that year, and in fact, 50 years ago today, President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act (VRA). For decades, this landmark law, which many people fought and marched for, protected the rights of everyone to vote.
Unfortunately, in the last few years, this basic right has come increasingly under attack. A disastrous Supreme Court decision two years ago gutted a major portion of the law, and some states have passed laws that prevent people of color, young people, and women from voting and having a voice in decision-making. Often, these same voters targeted with voter suppression are the same people most at risk from pollution, climate disruption, and other environmental justice concerns. Without the right to vote and choose proper representation, all basic liberties and protections can be abridged or denied. Specifically, by suppressing the right to vote, a handful of extremists maintain a stranglehold on Congress, blocking action on environmental, climate, labor, criminal justice reform, and reproductive health policies that impact all Americans and the planet.
On Saturday, the Sierra Club helped the NAACP kick off America’s Journey for Justice, an 864-mile march to Washington, D.C. demanding justice. Faith leaders, local NAACP leaders, and march organizers also participated in a prayer service and rally.
The march will be making stops along the way with rallies including Atlanta, Greenville, Raleigh, Richmond and Sierra Club members are encouraged to get involved.
Restoring the VRA is only one part of a broader movement for environmental, economic, and social justice. The Sierra Club is proud to march with the NAACP this summer to call for justice and action to protect and expand access to the ballot box, to quality education, to good-paying jobs, and for a fair and equitable society for everyone.
Everyone deserves the right to clean air, clean water, and protection from the effects of climate disruption. But the same communities facing the worst environmental injustices are the ones facing voter suppression and racial discrimination.
When our voices are silenced by attacks on the ballot box, our criminal justice system is stacked against individuals, and our access to sustainable jobs with living wages and equitable public education is limited, our democracy suffers, and so does our ability to tackle a climate crisis that is bigger than us all.
Climate disruption affects us all, despite our race, ethnicity, or other background. But realistically, climate disruption affects the homes, lives, and futures of African Americans disproportionately. Low-income areas and communities of color do not receive equal protection from environmental harm despite suffering far greater exposure to toxic pollutants.
Often lacking political power, the mechanisms for organized resistance, and access to sustainable jobs with a living wage, these communities are frequently chosen as sites for polluting facilities or feel compelled to accept them as a source of jobs despite the health hazards they pose. Often lacking access to adequate healthcare as well, community members face increased health risks from these polluting facilities.
Under the banner, “our lives, our votes, our jobs, and our schools matter,” America’s Journey for Justice will demand that our country adopts a policy agenda that protects the lives of Americans, reverses climate disruption, promotes clean energy jobs and living wages, and offers uncorrupted and unfettered access to the ballot box and equitable public education.
The largest journey begins with a single step. Join those marching from Selma to Washington and tell your member of Congress it's time to protect voting rights for all. If you live near the path of the march and want updates on its progress and invitations to rallies and teach-ins near you, text SC4JUSTICE to 69866.