Honoring MLK: Residents, community leaders gather to rally in support of voting rights

DAYTONA BEACH — In the 1960s, Martin Luther King Jr. became one of the most emblematic figures in American history as a pioneer of the civil rights movement.

More than 50 years after his assassination, his legacy is still present in the national political scene.

On Saturday, which would have been King's 93rd birthday, Daytona Beach residents and members of local political and non-political organizations gathered at the intersection of International Speedway Boulevard and Beach Street to rally in favor of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, while also remembering and celebrating King.

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Protesters spoke against a series of recent laws enacted in several states that they say make it more difficult for some Americans, especially Blacks, to vote.

Democrats have been pushing to pass new voting legislation as several states pursued new restrictions following the 2020 election.

A USA TODAY analysis of 254 new laws in 45 states passed since then revealed a variety of changes voters may notice and other administrative changes happening behind the scenes. In total, about 55 million eligible voters live in states with changes that will give them less access.

The rally was organized by the Volusia County Democratic Black Caucus. Members of the Daytona Beach/Volusia County NACCP and the Daytona Beach Black Clergy Alliance also attended.

Rev. L. Ronald Durham, president of the Black caucus, said that King's and Lewis’ legacies as leaders of the civil rights movement “is one that we have to continue.”

“Voting rights is under assault,” Durham said. “We need the John Lewis Voting Rights Act to pass. And hopefully this rally will energize those in Washington to get up and do something.”

Protesters met at the base of the International Speedway Boulevard Bridge, which Durham said alludes to the march on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, in 1965.

During that march, which took place at the height of the modern civil rights movement, an estimated 600 people assembled at a church in downtown Selma and planned to march silently to Montgomery, Alabama. Lewis led the march, which was cut short when state troopers, sheriff's deputies and others ordered the demonstrators to disperse, according to the National Archives.

"One minute and five seconds after a two-minute warning was announced, the troops advanced, wielding clubs, bullwhips and tear gas," the archives state. "John Lewis, who suffered a skull fracture, was one of 58 people treated for injuries at the local hospital. The day is remembered in history as 'Bloody Sunday.'"

“There is an interconnectedness between this rally today and what John Lewis and other civil rights leaders did in Selma,” Durham said. “Here we are stationed at a bridge in the South, and the symbolism means they bled, they beaten, in order that we would have access to the polls and a right to vote.”

'It's important that we never forget'

Rev. Larry Chavers, an executive chairman at the Black caucus, said the rally is part of a “national cry of unity to help pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.”

The legislation would replace part of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that the U.S. Supreme Court struck down in 2013 and would aim to restore Justice Department review of changes in election law in states with a history of discrimination.

“If we dare to forget, we are subject to repeat our past,” Chavers said. “It’s important that we never forget. Sometimes it’s such a hard-pressed thing for our youth and grown people to remind each other that if we don’t care for each other, we’re soon going to destroy each other.”

Chavers said that John Lewis’ words, “Get in trouble. But get in good trouble,” have stuck with him after the former congressman’s death in 2020.

“That was profound to me,” he said. “If you are going to stick your nose in, stick your nose in for a cause — not just to stir up foolishness.”

Approximately 40 people participated in the protest, and many drivers passing by honked both approvingly and disapprovingly.

Local Allen Cowan said that for him, “it’s sad” that rallies like Saturday’s will not be very effective to help pass the bill.

He said, however, that the rallies can be helpful in terms of spreading the message about voting rights and getting more people to vote.

“I wish (the marchers in Selma) were in a place like this, where the cars stopped and as they are speeding by; they get a fleeting glance at our message.”

Cowan said he has been involved in efforts with the League of Women Voters to encourage Volusia County residents to vote in the next elections.

Local Maryann Harvey said the fact that voting rights remain an issue for Americans, especially African Americans, shows that “we still have a long way to go.”

“They did this on the Pettus Bridge (in Selma), and it’s unbelievable that years later we’ve still got to come back,” Harvey said.

Harvey said that despite feeling a little disappointed that there were not as many people as she expected at the rally on Saturday, she remains hopeful that the Voting Rights Act will pass “if we can get the word out to more people, if we can get bigger crowds to come out.”

Chavers, who is also a pastor at the Missionary Baptist Church of Sandhill in Osteen, added that it is crucial that the message reaches “regular citizens” who are interested in “changing things.”

“If we don’t ever participate in what is going on, we will never know what we can do,” Chavers said. “It brings awareness. I’m sure we are going to get some fingers pointed at us and all that, but it’s worth it.”

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona rally honors Martin Luther King Jr., supports voting rights