Neighborhood FORWARD Statement on the Passage of Georgia Senate Bill 202

ATLANTA, March 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Last week, Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law one of the most restrictive voting bills in our history. The passage of Georgia Senate Bill 202 (SB202) is borne from a concerted effort to undermine public trust in a process that rarely experiences fraud. It's a perversion of our values and seeks to injure Black and Brown voting power.

Neighborhood FORWARD condemns this action in the strongest possible terms. In response to progressive efforts that improved voter turnout in 2020, 134 members of the Georgia Legislature have bowed to what some consider white supremacist ideology and surrendered the principles of plurality and equality. New limits on mail-in voting, unreasonable identification requirements, and the criminalization of offering food and water to voters stuck in line are attacks on marginalized communities across the Peach State.

For too long, even the most well-intentioned public policy has negatively impacted the lives of people of color in this country. Neighborhood FORWARD, however, denies that Gov. Kemp's actions are well-intentioned. Rather, they are a calculated attack on our neighborhoods.

Federal legislators must respond with an equal but opposite effort to reduce the harm leveled against Black and Brown communities. Right now, the U.S. Senate is considering the For the People Act (S1), which would dramatically expand voting rights by bolstering voter rolls, ending gerrymandering, and mandating voter registration.

Only the filibuster stands in its way. Some senators have repeatedly voiced their concerns with abolishing this archaic rule – implying that tradition trumps democracy. Procedure cannot stand in the way of equality. Neighborhood FORWARD is calling on all senators, Democratic and Republican alike, to condemn recent developments in Georgia and exercise their constitutional authority to fortify democracy against similar attacks. Without the passage of the For the People Act, we fear for the safety and agency of marginalized communities.

Meanwhile, we look forward to working with community, faith, and business stakeholders such as Coca-Cola and Delta, etc. in Georgia to combat these laws. Neighborhood FORWARD is ready to facilitate collaboration between all of the above to usher in a new era of prosperity.

ABOUT:
Neighborhood FORWARD is a movement built by concerned citizens, faith leaders, civil rights activists, elected officials, business partners, and non-profit organizations throughout the country. Join the movement: https://www.neighborhoodforward.org

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Neighborhood FORWARD
314-440-3605
[email protected]

SOURCE Neighborhood FORWARD