Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens posted a message on Twitter in support of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act on the 50th anniversary of the original Voting Rights Advance Act of 1965 that became law due to the effort of John Lewis and other prominent civil rights activists.
Named for the man — who recently passed away — who created the bill that eliminated many of the Jim Crow-era restriction in place to limit Black Americans’ ability to vote in the the US including literacy tests, poll taxes, violence and threats.
The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act — H.R. 4 for short — is being put forward according to the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights because:
“[I]t responds to the urgent need to stop the abuses by state and local governments in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s infamous 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder, when five justices of the Supreme Court invalidated the VRA’s preclearance provision. In its decision, the Court stated: “Our country has changed, and while any racial discrimination in voting is too much, Congress must ensure that the legislation it passes to remedy that problem speaks to current conditions.”
Since Shelby County, discriminatory policies have proliferated nationwide and continued in areas formerly covered by the preclearance requirement. In states, counties, and cities across the country, public officials have pushed through laws and policies designed to make it harder for many communities to vote. While we have celebrated successful legal challenges to discriminatory voter ID laws in Texas and North Carolina, such victories occurred only after elections in those states were tainted by discrimination. Lost votes cannot be reclaimed and discriminatory elections cannot be undone.”
Stevens’ tweet in support calls on politicians to pick up the mantle of Lewis’ life work in ensuring an equal right to vote for all Americans.
In 1965, this passed with an overwhelming, bipartisan vote. John Lewis's Voting Rights Advancement Act was written to reinforce this and eliminate any barriers or obstacles to vote. Voter suppression is real and unjust. The senate needs to honor John, and simply do what's right https://t.co/eGWvrG1rET
— Brad Stevens (@BCCoachStevens) August 6, 2020
Said the Celtics head coach:
“In 1965, this passed with an overwhelming, bipartisan vote. John Lewis’s Voting Rights Advancement Act was written to reinforce this and eliminate any barriers or obstacles to vote. Voter suppression is real and unjust. The senate needs to honor John, and simply do what’s right.”
In their commitment to racial justice, Brad Stevens, the Celtics and NBA have sworn themselves to supporting both symbolic and structural interventions to fight racial inequity, and to date, they have done an outstanding job in both arenas.
Jayson Tatum wears '8:46' facemask in memory of George Floyd's killing https://t.co/h0Pi3m1EUd
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) August 5, 2020
The pro-racial justice jersey slogans, commercials, and Black Lives Matter murals have raised awareness and encouraged others to join the fight.
At the same time, a $300 million commitment to a foundation controlled by players to help the Black community in the way it sees itself to most need that help coupled with initiatives like this one can create lasting, policy-based change symbolic gestures alone could not.
All U.S. citizens should have an equitable opportunity to vote, and it is through this sort of advocacy Boston, the league, and the United States more generally can work to achieve it.
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