Rep. Jim Clyburn to put forth legislation to rename voting rights bill after John Lewis

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn will offer legislation Monday to rename a House-passed voting rights bill after the late Rep. John Lewis, who was brutalized in the 1960s during efforts to secure voting rights for African Americans.

"Congressman Clyburn is offering legislation to rename H.R. 4 The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act tomorrow. The name change is expected to pass by unanimous consent," Clyburn's spokeswoman, Hope Derrick, said in a Sunday statement.

Clyburn, a Democrat who represents South Carolina, said last week that the best way to honor Lewis' life is for the Senate to consider the measure.

"I think that Trump and the Senate leadership, Mitch McConnell, by their deeds if they so celebrate the heroism of this man, then let's go to work and pass that bill because it's laid out the way the Supreme Court asked us to lay it out," he told CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of The Union."

"And if the President were to sign that, then I think that's what we would do to honor John. It should be the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of 2020. That's the way to do it. Words may be powerful, but deeds are lasting," he said.

{SOURCE: CNN]

Mayor Lightfoot Says She Has 'Drawn A Very Tight Line' With Federal Agents

In an interview on CNN, Mayor Lightfoot told Jake Tapper she has made it clear to federal authorities that if they cross the line, she will use every tool at her disposal to stop them.

Rep. Karen Bass on VP talk: Willing to serve however I can

Congressional Black Caucus Chair Rep. Karen Bass tells CNN's Jake Tapper that she's wants to do whatever she can to help Joe Biden get elected.

NAACP ANNOUNCES VIRTUAL MARCH ON WASHINGTON

Virtual programming on 57th anniversary of March on Washington will advance a bold Black agenda; honor the legacy of John Lewis 

BALTIMORE — The NAACP announced that it will lead a “2020 Virtual March on Washington” alongside civil rights leaders, activists, and families of those who died at the hands of law enforcement, to call for police accountability reform and mobilize voters ahead of the November elections. 

The virtual march — which will bring forward a bold National Black agenda  — will take place on August 28th, 2020, the 57th anniversary of the historic March on Washington, where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. Accompanying virtual events with music performances and keynote speakers will also take place on the nights of August 27th and 28th.

“To meet both the urgency and unique circumstances of this political moment, we are driving this movement from protest to policy to power with all the innovative tools at our disposal, including and especially through virtual organizing,” said Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of NAACP. “Our 2020 Virtual March on Washington is about asking everyone — from protesters in the streets to elected officials at all levels of government — to commit to pursuing a new agenda that prioritizes equity, justice, and equal opportunity for all. As we approach the November elections, we must mobilize to vote like we’ve never done before.”

This inclusive day of action seeks to channel the soaring energy from this national moment of reckoning and will call for reforms of the systems, structures, policies, and attitudes that enable police brutality, racial discrimination, and interpersonal racism. The NAACP will also execute a robust civic engagement effort with multiple levers of change, including registering participants to vote and encouraging them to participate in the Census. 

“With the heartbreaking passing of civil rights titan John Lewis, good-willed people all across this country can participate in this march to honor his life and legacy and commit to pursuing a bold Black agenda that advances the unfulfilled promise of our democracy,” President Johnson continued. “We must consider the lives we are attempting to forge for our families and communities. We must act in our best interest to knock down the walls of injustice and grant future generations access to higher social, economic, and political power. This is what the 2020 Virtual March on Washington is all about.”

A series of virtual and in-person programming will take place on the following dates:

• THE CALL: Thursday, August 27, 8-10pm ET: There will be virtual programming carried on television networks and key social media platforms, including musical performances, remarks from young activists and emerging organizations, and other entertainment. 

• THE MARCH: Friday, August 28, 11am – 3pm ET: There will be a Virtual March on Washington, streamed across key social media platforms and television networks. Led by Martin Luther King III, and the families of Black people who have died at the hands of police officers, thousands will virtually March on Washington to restore and recommit to the dream Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. defined in 1963. The virtual march will be in partnership with a socially distant, in-person march for those in the D.C. area.  

• THE CHARGE: Friday, August 28, 9-11pm ET: The event will conclude with a night of virtual programming, including a major keynote address and musical performances by award-winning artists. 

Coming days after both the Democratic National Convention and the Republican National Convention, the 2020 Virtual March on Washington will set forth a bold new Black agenda — advocating for comprehensive police accountability reform, economic empowerment, and equitable access to health care, education, and the voting booths. For more information, visit 2020march.com. 

New York lawmakers make Juneteenth a state holiday

New York lawmakers made use of a rare, mostly remote summer session to approve legislation designating Juneteenth a public holiday.

The Senate and Assembly returned to work this week, taking up myriad measures after the regular legislative session was placed on hold by the pandemic.

The Democrat-led chambers voted to create two new public holidays celebrating Juneteenth, which commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform enslaved African-Americans that the Civil War had ended and that they were free, and Abolition Commemoration Day, marking the end of slavery in New York.

“It is long past time that we commemorate and honor important dates in Black history,” said sponsor Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman (D-Queens). “Juneteenth must be recognized across the country as a public holiday, and I am proud that, working with my colleagues, we are able to mark a piece of Black liberation on the calendar and in our cultural consciousness here in New York State.”