“Today in Atlanta, the President and Vice President reaffirmed their unshakeable commitment to voting rights. Their doggedness on this issue spoke to me personally, as I know it did for so many others across the country.

“My family’s story is inextricably tied to the story of voting rights in this nation. Voting rights legislation ensured that, after decades under the thumb of Jim Crow, my grandfather could vote unencumbered in South Carolina. As voter suppression laws spread like wildfire across the nation, voting rights legislation today would ensure that my son, my grandfather’s namesake, can continue to vote unencumbered. 

“My family’s story is not unique. President Biden and Vice President Harris know this. They have a deep respect for what millions in this nation have endured and they know in their bones that none of us ever want to go back.

“They know this is bigger than politics. They know this is more important than arcane Senate procedures used time and again to grind progress to a halt.

“Today, the president and vice president made it inexplicably clear that the time to act is now. The time to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act is now. Congressman Lewis was a man of action, not empty words. Those who fail to act in this crucial moment for our democracy should think twice before invoking his name in the future.

“President Biden, Vice President Harris, and the nation are united on the importance of voting rights. Let’s act now to translate our shared commitment into law.”