NAACP President, U.S. Attorney General to Speak on Voting Rights at MLK Day Rally
January 13, 2012(Columbia, SC) – NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will join the NAACP South Carolina State Conference for the annual “King Day at the Dome” rally Monday, January 16th. The event is held each year at the South Carolina State House to commemorate Dr. King’s life, draw attention to economic and educational equalities in the state, and protest the Confederate battle flag flying in front of the State House building.
President Jealous will hold a Press Availability immediately following the rally.
The theme for this year's event is “Preserving full citizenship rights for all Americans”. Holder’s appearance comes just weeks after the U.S. Department of Justice struck down South Carolina’s suppressive photo identification law under the Voting Rights Act. The law would have disenfranchised tens of thousands of racial and ethnic minorities, students and disabled voters.
“The photo identification law that passed through the South Carolina State House last year was an affront to the values that Dr. King stood for,” stated NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Jealous. “We will march to defend our right to vote and to defend our nation’s dream of America as a place where everybody works, everybody contributes, and everybody counts.”
“On Monday we will gather thousands of concerned citizens from South Carolina and across the nation to support the cause of dignity for our children, seniors, families and those in need,” stated Dr. Lonnie Randolph, President of the South Carolina NAACP State Conference. “Together we must compel our leaders to do better, think more inclusively and act more compassionately in their attempts to govern.”
Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.
