Quinnipiac University Voting Rights Symposium

Two U.S. congresswomen among panel participants in
Quinnipiac University voting rights symposium on Oct. 28

HAMDEN, Conn. – Oct. 20, 2021 – Two U.S. congresswomen will be among an esteemed panel of experts participating in the Quinnipiac University School of Law’s voting rights symposium, “Finding Solutions to Protect our Most Sacred Right,” from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 28.
U.S. representatives Terri A. Sewell of Alabama and Nikema Williams of Georgia highlight a national panel of preeminent voices, including advocacy leaders, community activists, engagement strategists and elected officials.

The symposium will focus on what many perceive as new attacks on voting rights and discuss efforts to find solutions to protect those rights.

The virtual event, which is free and open to the public, is co-sponsored by Quinnipiac law school and The Campaign School at Yale University. Click here to register.

Sewell is the chief sponsor of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, while Williams represents Georgia’s 5th Congregational District, the same district John Lewis represented from 1987 until his passing in 2020.

“As John Lewis so eloquently stated, ‘Voting and participating in the democratic process are key. The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society,’” said Marilyn Ford, a Quinnipiac Law professor and panel member who organized the symposium. “He understood the importance of the right to vote and the fact that if not protected, it could be lost.

“The right to vote embodies the highly esteemed principles of America’s founding creed and serves as the foundation of our democracy,” Ford added. “It is vitally important that we continue the work of John Lewis to ensure that the binding component of this nation’s promise is never abridged or denied.”

The panel also includes: Leah C. Aden, deputy director of litigation, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc.; Barbara Arnwine, president and founder, Transformative Justice Coalition and former executive director, Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; Johnnie Booker, retired diversity executive, former global director, Supplier Diversity, Coca-Cola and former vice president, Resolution Trust Corporation; Rhonda Briggins, organizer and co-founder, Vote Run Lead, co-chair, Delta Sigma Theta National Social Commission and former president, Georgia Transit Association; John Cusick, assistant counsel, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc.; Sedgwick Daniels, pastor, Holy Redeemer Church of God in Christ and jurisdictional prelate, Wisconsin First Jurisdiction; Randal Gaines, state representative, Louisiana District 57 and vice chair, Southern Christian Leadership Conference; CK Hoffler, civil rights lawyer, past president, National Bar Association and chair, Rainbow Push Coalition; Reginald Jackson, presiding prelate, African Methodist Episcopal Church, 6th Episcopal District of Georgia; Patricia Russo, executive director, The Campaign School at Yale; and Dov Wilker, regional director, American Jewish Committee Atlanta and AJC National Director for Black Jewish Relations.

“Voting is America's commitment and promise to itself,” Russo said. “It is our most precious right as a country. It is something to be preserved, honored and protected in order for our Democracy to thrive and represent a future for all of its citizens.”