FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, August 24, 2021
Contact: [email protected]
Demi Lovato, Rosario Dawson, Hailey Bieber, Justin Bieber, Martin Luther King III, Arndrea Waters King, Rev. Sharpton and More Sign Open Letter to Americans to Reignite the Call for Congress to Pass National Voting Rights Protections
Re-Published Letter Comes Ahead of John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act House Vote and August 28th March On For Voting Rights
(Washington, D.C.): Today, When We All Vote and March On For Voting Rights joined forces to reignite the call for Congress to pass federal voting rights legislation upon return from recess. Martin Luther King III, Arndrea Waters King, Rev. Sharpton, Demi Lovato, Rosario Dawson, Hailey Bieber, Justin Bieber, Baratunde Thurston, Rachel Lindsay, Arianna Huffington, Al B. Sure!, Kelly McCreary and more joined an open letter that was signed by When We All Vote Co-Chairs Michelle Obama, Tom Hanks, Tracee Ellis Ross, Chris Paul, Kerry Washington, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Selena Gomez, Janelle Monáe, Liza Koshy, Megan Rapinoe, Shonda Rhimes, Faith Hill and Rita Wilson in March of this year. The letter, re-published on the March On For Voting Rights website, calls on all Americans to take action by marching, calling, emailing and tweeting their Senators in support of national voting rights legislation.
Since this letter was first released in March, there has been little progress on federal voting rights legislation in Congress — and Republicans in the Senate have stopped any progress on the For the People Act. Today marks a renewed call from leaders in entertainment, film, fashion, music and sports, and it comes at a critical moment in the fight for voting rights.
This week, the House is expected to vote on the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Then on Saturday, August 28th, thousands of people will engage online and take to the street for the March On For Voting Rights. Commemorating the anniversary of the 1963 March On Washington, marchers in D.C., Phoenix, Atlanta, Miami and Houston, among nearly 50 other sister march locations nationwide, will make a national call for Congress to pass federal voting rights protections. As the entertainment industry calls for action and democracy organizers mobilize millions, state legislatures continue to introduce over 400 anti-voting bills in cities across the country. This letter and the power of the August 28th March will harness the energy and will of the people to demand Congress expand and protect access to our democracy for all.
In addition to When We All Vote Co-Chair Michelle Obama and Chairman of the Board Valerie Jarrett, more than 70 When We All Vote Co-Chairs, Ambassadors and supporters, and newly added March On For Voting Rights supporters, co-signed the letter. Signers include:
Al B. Sure!, Rev. Al Sharpton, Alicia Keys, Amandla Stenberg, Amy Schumer, Andy Cohen, Ariana Grande, Arianna Huffington, Arndrea Waters King, Ayesha Curry, Baratunde Thurston, Becky G, Billie Eilish, Blake Lively, Bobby Berk, Carmelo Anthony, Chelsea Handler, Chrissy Teigen, Common, Darren Criss, Demi Lovato, DJ Khaled, Eva Longoria, Fat Joe, FINNEAS, Hailey Bieber, Harrison Barnes, Issa Rae, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jay Ellis, Jayson Tatum, Jennifer Lopez, Joe Jonas, John Legend, Jonathan Van Ness, José Andrés, Justin Bieber, Kal Penn, Karamo Brown, Keke Palmer, Kelly McCreary, Kevin Jonas, Laverne Cox, Leonardo DiCaprio, LL COOL J, Loni Love, Lynn Whitfield, Martin Lawrence, Martin Luther King III, Michelle Williams, Nick Jonas, Rachel Lindsay, Regina Hall, Regina King, Rosario Dawson, Ryan Reynolds, Shaquille O’Neal, Stephen Curry, Taraji P. Henson, The Roots, Wanda Sykes, Whoopi Goldberg, Yara Shahidi and Yvette Nicole Brown.
View the full letter here.
ABOUT When We All Vote:
When We All Vote is a leading national, nonpartisan initiative is on a mission to change the culture around voting and to increase participation in each and every election by helping to close the race and age gap. Created by Michelle Obama, When We All Vote brings together individuals, institutions, brands, and organizations to register new voters across the country and advance civic education for the entire family and voters of every age to build an informed and engaged electorate for today and generations to come. We empower our supporters and volunteers to take action through voting, advocating for their rights, and holding their elected officials accountable.
In 2020, When We All Vote ran a robust, multifaceted campaign and reached more than 100 million people to educate them about the voting process and get them registered and ready to vote. The initiative also led in voter education, registration, and volunteer engagement and as a result, 512,000 people started or completed the voter registration process, and nearly 500 media, corporate, and nonprofit partners joined its efforts.
Michelle Obama launched When We All Vote in 2018 and is joined by fellow Co-Chairs Tom Hanks, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Janelle Monáe, Chris Paul, Faith Hill, Selena Gomez, Liza Koshy, Megan Rapinoe, Shonda Rhimes, Tracee Ellis Ross, Kerry Washington, and Rita Wilson.
When We All Vote is a key initiative within Civic Nation, a 501(c)(3) organization, and works with Civic Nation Action, a 501(c)(4). These organizations are homes for changemakers who inspire, educate, and activate people around the issues that will define this generation.
ABOUT Civic Nation:
Civic Nation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit home for changemakers who inspire, educate, and activate people around the issues that will define this generation. Civic Nation empowers and educates individuals, companies, institutions and organizations to drive culture, systems and policy change, working towards a more inclusive and equitable America. Six initiatives are a part of the Civic Nation family: When We All Vote, United State of Women, ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, End Rape On Campus, It’s On Us and Made to Save.
ABOUT March On For Voting Rights:
March On for Voting Rights is a mass mobilization to demand that elected officials protect democracy, denounce voter suppression, make D.C. a state, and ensure fair, easy access to the vote. On August 28, the 58th anniversary of the historic March on Washington, we will march on cities across America to demand that the vision of MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech be deferred no longer. That means passing the For the People Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and the Washington, D.C. Admission Act. The march is led by Drum Major Institute, March On, the National Action Network, Future Coalition, SEIU, and 51 for 51, and is joined by over 140 other partners. The march is funded through the #ForJohn campaign, a grassroots effort co-founded by Martin Luther King III and Arndrea King to fight voter suppression.