John Lewis on voter suppression

Civil rights activist John Lewis has a powerful message about voter suppression.

Transcript

00:00On March 7, 1965, I gave a little blood on the Edmund Pettus Bridge for the right to vote.

00:09Others lost their lives.

00:11Before the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed, some people had to count the number of bubbles

00:35on a bar of soap, the number of jelly beans in a jar.

00:39All across America today, when people go out to attempt to vote, they stand in long,

00:47immovable lines. That's not right. It's not fair. And it's not just.

00:55We can do better, and we must do better. We have a moral obligation, a mission,

01:00and a mandate to empower all of the American people, not just a select few.

01:06We must do what is right, what is fair, and what is just.

01:13Today, our democracy is under attack by forces within and forces abroad.

01:21We need to fix it and fix it now.

02:06Many people marched and protested for the right to vote. Some of you have heard me say that the

02:20right to vote is precious, almost sacred. In my hearts of hearts, I believe that we should make

02:28it simple and convenient for all of our citizens to be part of the democratic process. It should

02:35not matter whether you're black or white, Latino, Asian American, or Native American.