This past Tuesday, Representative Terri Sewell (AL-7) spoke at a press conference to introduce the Voting Rights Advancement Act, a bill meant to restore key provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, alongside over 14 members of Congress including Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA-12), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (MD-05), Representative John Lewis (GA-05), and Representative Judy Chu (CA-27).

Speaker Pelosi acknowledged the importance of protecting minority groups from infringements on their right to vote including the AAPI community before thanking Representative Judy Chu for showing support for the bill on behalf of the Congressional Asian and Pacific Islander American Caucus (CAPAC) and the AAPI community. Representative Sewell also stressed the importance of minority groups (and highlighted groups that included immigrants, LGBTQ, and Asian Americans) in past and future elections before thanking the Tri-Caucus for their support and various groups working towards voter protection including Asian Americans Advancing Justice.

Representative John Lewis also mentioned Asian Americans before stating “We all live in the same house. The American House,” and emphasizing the important role the Voting Rights Advancement Act would play in protecting the right to vote.

“Generations before us have fought long before us so we could have a voice in our democracy,” said Representative Judy Chu in a speech that condemned a lack of language access and past policies such as the Chinese Exclusion Act that have affected the AAPI community’s ability to vote.

Restoring the Voting Rights Act is one more step in ensuring the AAPI community’s right to vote is preserved for present and future generations. For more information, click here for the official press release. For a link to the bill itself, click here.