Rep. Pete Aguilar was joined by community leaders and civil rights advocates from the NAACP, the League of Women Voters and LULAC

Rep. Pete Aguilar (CA-33) held a press conference with local civil rights and community leaders to highlight the importance of protecting voting rights and fair representation from relentless Republican attacks. Ahead of the Juneteenth holiday, the press conference emphasized how 161 years after the end of slavery, Black Americans are still fighting for full racial equality, civil rights and fair representation.

In the fifty days since the conservative majority on the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act, Republican-led states have moved to eliminate majority-Black districts across the South through Jim Crow-era racial gerrymandering. House Democrats are fighting back against this disastrous decision and will fight to restore the voting rights that Trump and Republicans destroyed.

“Right now, voting rights, fair representation and our nation’s democracy are under attack because right-wing extremists want to take this country backward,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar. “Allowing Donald Trump and his Republican henchmen to dilute the voting power of Black, Brown and other Americans of color anywhere in this country means we risk turning back decades of progress in the fight for equality and justice. That’s why House Democrats will keep fighting back against these attempts to undermine our democracy and silence voters of color. Because in America, our democracy is strongest when every voice is heard and when our government reflects the people it serves.”

“As President of the San Bernardino NAACP, I believe protecting voting rights remains one of the most important civil rights issues of our time,” said Chache Wright, President, NAACP San Bernardino Branch. “We must stay vigilant and intentional in ensuring every community has a fair and equal opportunity to be heard.”

“Voting is the cornerstone of American democracy,” said Janet Bernabe, Deputy District 5 Director, LULAC; Vice President, League of Women Voters Riverside. “It is how people make their voices heard, hold the government accountable, and help shape the future of their communities. When people vote, democracy works. When barriers are placed in front of eligible voters, democracy is weakened. For Latino voters and all communities of color, this fight is deeply personal. We know what is at stake, and we know why we must continue to defend voting rights against those who want to take our country backward. We will not be silenced.”

Rep. Aguilar serves as Chair of the House Democratic Caucus and as a member of the House Committee on Appropriations.