50th Anniversary of the Signing of the 1965 Voting Rights Act “Nonviolence 365 Voter Registration, Education and Responsibility” Drive

Story by the King Center

ATLANTA– The King Center is commemorating the 50th anniversary of the signing of the 1965 Voting Rights Act with a Nonviolence 365 voter registration, education and responsibility” drive. The drive will be held on the grounds of the King Center at 449 Auburn Avenue on Thursday, August 6 between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

“While the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was designed to enforce the voting rights guaranteed by the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution”, said Bernice A. King, CEO of The King Center. “Fifty years after its signing we know that large groups of citizens face voter disenfranchisement through voter identification, felony voting laws and other forms of discrimination. With the 2016 presidential election just 16 months away, we feel that now is the time to engage in voter registration, education and responsibility.” Because voting is not just a right, it is a responsibility, the King Center has invited a number of nonprofit organizations to joins us for this “Nonviolence 365 voter registration, education and responsibility” drive.

In addition, thanks to a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the King Center will also mark the occasion with special free screenings of the movie “Freedom Riders” at 12 noon and 2 p.m. The 90 minute film tells the story of black and white college student volunteers who, together, took a bus ride into the Deep South knowing they would risk arrest and assault in the process of shining a light on the laws that made travel difficult or impossible for people of color. The King Center is honored to have been selected as one of the organizations chosen to participate in the National Endowment for the Humanities “CREATED EQUAL – the Civil Rights Struggle” Project.

For more information, please call (404) 526-8944.