• Celebrity
    • OTE – Screen Kings
    • Daniel Kaluuya Digital Cover
    • Digital Cover Method Man
    • Digital Cover Zazie
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
    • If Not For My Girls
  • Fashion
    • ESSENCE Fashion House 2022
    • Fashion News
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Best In Black Beauty 2023
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • Beauty News
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weave
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • Black History Month
    • ESSENCE Gift Guide 2022
    • ESSENCE + smartwater Live Well Challenge
    • Build Your Legacy 2022
    • Dream & Plan with Confidence Prudential
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Homecoming Season 2022
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
  • News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Sponsors Recognition Page 2022
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Video
  • Festival
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2022 Fest Videos
  • Events
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Girls United Summit
    • 2022 ESSENCE Fashion House
    • 2022 Homecoming Season
    • She Got Now
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • Power Tools
  • Studios
  • Girls United

WHERE BLACK CULTURE, COMMUNITY AND CONSCIOUSNESS MEET

Sign up for ESSENCE Newsletters the keep the Black women at the forefront of conversation.

Your email is required.
Your email is in invalid format.
Confirm email is required.
Email did not match.
Select the newsletters you'd like to receive:
Please select at least one option.
By clicking Subscribe Now, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Skip to content
SUBSCRIBE
  • MAGAZINE
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Celebrity
    • OTE – Screen Kings
    • Daniel Kaluuya Digital Cover
    • Digital Cover Method Man
    • Digital Cover Zazie
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
      • Paint The Polls Black
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
    • If Not For My Girls
  • Fashion
    • ESSENCE Fashion House 2022
    • Fashion News
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Best In Black Beauty 2023
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • Beauty News
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weave
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • Black History Month
    • ESSENCE Gift Guide 2022
    • ESSENCE + smartwater Live Well Challenge
    • Build Your Legacy 2022
    • Dream & Plan with Confidence Prudential
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Homecoming Season 2022
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
  • News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Sponsors Recognition Page 2022
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Video
  • Festival
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2022 Fest Videos
  • Events
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Girls United Summit
    • 2022 ESSENCE Fashion House
    • 2022 Homecoming Season
    • She Got Now
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • Power Tools
  • Studios
  • Girls United
Home · News

Martin Luther King Jr.’s Family Says “No Celebration” Until The Freedom To Vote Act Is Passed

“The President stood for bridges. Now it's time to stand for our voting rights,” said Arndrea Waters King, wife of Martin Luther King III.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s Family Says “No Celebration” Until The Freedom To Vote Act Is Passed
Martin Luther King, III and Arndrea Waters King, courtesy of the family
By Ashlee Banks · Updated January 17, 2022

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s family is demanding that the Senate pass the Freedom to Vote Act, which would protect against voter discrimination and suppression. 

Martin Luther King III, the son of the late civil rights leader, stated that until Congress passes this legislation, there will be “no celebration” in honor of MLK Day, The Associated Press reported. 

Arndrea Waters King, the wife of MLK III and the president of the Drum Major Institute told Essence that this country has seen “a different attack on our democracy…during the election of 2020, people voted in numbers unlike we’ve ever seen before. We mobilized, we voted, we came out and consequently, since that time, there have been [numerous] bills proposed to make it harder to vote.” 

In December, King launched a campaign titled “Deliver For Voting Rights” and partnered with 150 other organizations and demanded that both President Joe Biden and Congress pass the Freedom to Vote Act. 

“We’ve seen what happens when the President and Congress put their full weight and power behind an issue. We saw that with the passage of the infrastructure bill, and what we’re saying is that the President stood for bridges. Now it’s time to stand for our voting rights,” King stated. 

On Saturday, King, activists, and faith leaders crossed a bridge in Phoenix, Arizona to symbolize freedom and the challenges Black Americans faced in order to gain access to voting rights. 

Stephanie Young, the Executive Director of When We All Vote told Essence that if Rev. King were still alive, he would be “surprised that we are circling right back to the fight that he and many others led. We are right back at square one when it comes to suppressing voters, especially in certain states that the Voting Rights Act protected. States like my home state of Georgia and Alabama.” 

She continued, “But we know from his teaching we cannot ever give up on the fight for voting rights and ensuring we’re moving the ball forward and we’re expanding access and continuing to protect voters.” 

The fight for justice is slated to continue today in Washington D.C. where King and hundreds of others will make their voices heard.  

“[Today] we will be crossing the Frederick Douglass Bridge again along with a lot of our national partners, elected officials, activists, and everyday people. We’re crossing the Frederick Douglass Bridge to all come together and stand and demand passage of federal voting rights protection legislation,” said King. 

She told Essence that while we have seen progress in some areas, we are moving backwards as it pertains to voting rights in this country.  

“Our daughter, Yolanda Renee, was born in 2008. She’s the only granddaughter and the only grandchild of Martin Luther King Jr. And Coretta Scott King. In 2013, the federal Voting Rights Act, which was one of the cornerstones of her grandfather’s legislation, was dismantled,” King stated.  

She continued, “In her 13 short years, she and her peers are standing right now at this moment with fewer voting rights than the day that they were born. I can’t imagine what Martin Luther King Jr. And Coretta Scott King would think about that.” 

Taifa Smith Butler, President of Demos, a think tank headquartered in New York City, told Essence that she is hopeful that we will one day see change. 

“Given what our ancestors fought for and died for, given what Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights leaders fought for, even I’m sitting here in the state of Georgia remembering John Lewis’s sacrifice is that we cannot lose hope and we can’t give up. And while we may have taken a few steps back, there are glimmers of hope in this country where we can continue to fight and see advancements and access to our democracy,” she said.  

TOPICS:  dr. martin luther king jr mlk day voting rights
COMPANY INFORMATION
  • Our Company
  • Customer Service
  • Essence Ventures
  • Change Your Address
  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Internships
  • Media Kit
  • tag
SUBSCRIBE
  • Newsletters
  • Give a Gift of ESSENCE
  • Magazine Tablet Edition
FOLLOW US
MORE ON ESSENCE
  • Home
  • Love
  • Celebrity
  • Beauty
  • Hair
  • Fashion
  • ESSENCE festival

ESSENCE.com is part of ESSENCE Communications, Inc.

Essence may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.

©2023 ESSENCE Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Essence.com Advertising Terms

Get The ESSENCE Newsletter and
Special Offers delivered to your inbox

By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Get The ESSENCE Magazine
by subscribing below
subscribe now