Politicians Remember 'Bloody Sunday' and John Lewis, as Biden Signs Voting Access Order

As President Joe Biden signed an executive order that the White House described as "an initial step" toward broadening voting access and expanding voter protections, politicians paid homage to late Congressman John Lewis, whose activism and continued advocacy work laid strong foundations for the legislation passed on Sunday.

Lewis, a civil rights icon and U.S. House representative for more than three decades prior to his death last July, helped lead a group of hundreds during a march from Selma, Alabama, to the state capitol in Montgomery exactly 56 years ago, on March 7, 1965.

The march was one of three in which activists protested discriminatory practices that prevented Black Americans from exercising their rights to vote. Before they were able to complete their route to Montgomery, Alabama state troopers violently attacked demonstrators as they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Selma's outskirts. More than a dozen protesters, including Lewis, sustained serious injuries as a result of the attack, which is remembered as "Bloody Sunday."

"Congressman Lewis' fight to protect and expand the vote did not end that day in Selma. He carried the mission to our nation's Capital and remained a vigilant protector of our right to vote, knowing all too well the burdens borne to guarantee it," the White House said in a statement issued Sunday, introducing Biden's executive order.

"Today's Executive Order is an initial step in this Administration's efforts to protect the right to vote and ensure all eligible citizens can freely participate in the electoral process," it continued.

In light of the order's passage and 56th anniversary of the attack on "Bloody Sunday," numerous political figures commemorated Lewis' legacy and recalled the ways in which his activism informed the country's developing effort to prioritize voting rights.

"We drink deeply from wells of freedom & liberty that we did not dig," wrote Senator Cory Booker, of New Jersey, on Twitter. "Thinking today of the giants who came before us, marching toward justice, and especially missing my mentor and friend John Lewis."

"Bloody Sunday 1965 was a day filled with heartache and courage. For giants like John Lewis who never faltered in non-violent change making, we must march on towards a more just more perfect union," tweeted Colorado Representative Joe Neguse.

"On March 7, 1965 John Lewis and 600 other brave Americans risked their life and shed their blood fighting for the right to vote," said Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock. "56 years later, and the struggle continues. Let's honor their legacy by passing the #ForThePeopleAct & the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act."

Both bills previously passed in the U.S. House of Representatives. They aim to expand voting rights by limiting the influence of funding in political races and protecting against vote suppression and racial discrimination.

"Every year, Bloody Sunday is a reminder of the blood spilled, the bones broken and the price paid by John Lewis and other patriots on the Edmund Pettis [sic] Bridge to ensure every American—regardless of their race—could vote in our democracy," added Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth.

"56 years ago, John Lewis led the march across Edmund Pettus Bridge to demand full citizenship," wrote Sally Yates, who served as deputy attorney general during Barack Obama's presidency, in an additional tweet. "We honor his courage and sacrifice by actively protecting the vote he fought to secure."

Biden recognized the significance of Sunday's anniversary in a videotaped address, shared to Twitter alongside an additional message that acknowledged there is more work to be done to expand voting access and solidify protections for all American voters.

"The legacy of Selma is that while nothing can stop free people from exercising their most sacred power as citizens, there are those who will do anything they can to take that power away," his tweet read. "As we reflect on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday, we must stay focused on the work ahead."