Statement on the 60th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act

By Toni N. Johnson

We Must Vote Executive Director

The 60th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act is both a solemn reminder of our nation’s struggle for equality and a powerful call to continue that fight. Signed into law in 1965 after years of grassroots organizing and unyielding courage, the Act opened the doors of democracy for millions who had long been locked out. For We Must Vote, this anniversary is not simply a moment of reflection—it is a mandate for action.

Today, Mississippi and communities across the South continue to face deep structural barriers to participation—from felony disenfranchisement to the systematic removal of voter access points. At We Must Vote, we honor the legacy of the Voting Rights Act by building power where it’s been deliberately denied—among justice-impacted individuals, young first-time voters, and Black rural communities who are often excluded from the civic process.

This work is deeply personal to me. As someone who has been justice-impacted, I know what it feels like to be told—by the system and by society—that your voice no longer matters. I also know what it means to fight for it anyway. Founding We Must Vote was my way of turning pain into purpose—so that others like me don’t have to sit on the sidelines of democracy. Every expungement clinic, every voter registration table, every ride to the polls is a declaration: we still believe in the power of the vote—and we refuse to let it be silenced.

Sixty years later, our movement is proof that the fight for voting rights lives on—not just in legislation, but in everyday people rising up to claim their voice.