While Fighting for Democracy, the Chairwoman of Congressional Black Caucus was Arrested

In the midst of a national fight for protecting voting rights, Representative Joyce Beatty, the head of the Congressional Black Caucus, was detained on Capitol Hill on Thursday with eight other activists protesting for voting rights. 

As Texas, and multiple other states are attempting to reduce voting rights, on the national scale, massive protests are taking place in Capitol Hill, in one of the nation’s biggest efforts to save democracy from GOP attempts to destroy it. 

After her arrest, Ms. Beatty, an Ohio Democrat, tweeted:

You can arrest me. You can’t stop me. You can’t silence me.

— Joyce Beatty (@RepBeatty) July 15, 2021

The United States has been battling for everyone’s right to vote. Decades have passed since John Lewis crossed the bridge in Selma and over a year after his death. Voting suppression acts are still being pursued by the GOP all over the United States. In Texas, Gov. Abbott called a special legislative session and of the main objectives is to pass a special bill that will restrict voting rights for minorities. 

With the new law, a “one intimidation allowed” policy would enter into force, allowing leniency for Proud Boys or others committing racist practices in Elections. The new law would also allow the open carry of firearms into the mix. As of today, the new law has only passed the Senate thanks to Sen. Whitmire and three other democrats. The only tactic Democrats have left to protect Texas voting rights is holding the House Democrats together to prevent the passage of similar legislation in the House.

After Trump’s defeat in the last election, the GOP’s focus in 2021 has been mostly to reduce voting accessibility for minorities who don’t tend to vote Republican, in an attempt to take back the house and the Senate next election.