No MLK Jr. Day Without Action On Voting Rights, King Family Says

WASHINGTON, DC — The family of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. wants to send a clear message to President Joe Biden and members of the Senate: Restore and expand voting rights in honor of King's legacy or skip 2022's celebration of his namesake holiday.

In a statement sent to several news outlets and posted to DeliverForVotingRights.com, several grassroots organizations joined the Kings in calling on Congress to "urgently pass federal voting rights legislation."

Specifically, the Kings demanded meaningful action on the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. They also asked the president to "ensure the Jim Crow filibuster doesn’t stand in the way."

"Americans just saw President Biden use the full weight and power of his office to ensure Congress passed the infrastructure bill — his leadership secured over $1 trillion for our nation’s roads, airports, seaports, and bridges," the statement read. "Now, voters are demanding the President and Congress do the same to pass federal voting rights legislation."

At least 400 voter suppression bills were introduced during the first five months of 2021, 33 of which were put into law across 19 states, according to a report by Insider citing data from the Voting Rights Lab.

The King family and several partners plan to gather in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 17 — the observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day — to demand passage of voting rights legislation.

"Voting is an essential part of our democracy’s infrastructure," Arndrea Waters King said in a statement, "and we cannot afford for it to crumble any further."