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Lessons of 1964: The Movement Continues
This year's civil rights anniversaries can be a call to action.
We should never take for granted our rights and our responsibilities to engage in civic action and vote in every election — local and national.
The 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA) is a landmark federal law and a significant victory of the Civil Rights Movement. Enacted to remove the barriers of racist Jim Crow era policies, the VRA affirmed the right to vote for millions of African Americans. Enforcement of this law has expanded political opportunities for Black Americans and other people of color.