Celebrating the Dream: People reflect on Voting Rights Act

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — It’s been 50 years since Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act. People came together Friday at the Wilmington Convention Center to commemorate the historic event.

Participants in Celebrating the Dream, however, were not only honoring the act in the past, they were talking about the future. They said the 1965 national legislation was a move forward for African American voters, but North Carolina’s current voter ID legislation is a move backward.

Next year, voters will have to show a valid ID, or provide a credible reason for not having one, to cast a ballot.

As other groups try to reverse the law in the courts, people who participated in the Celebrating the Dream convention at the Wilmington Convention Center said they will try to overcome it with a conversation.

“I believe that with respect, and with thinking about sustainability and with all of us being communicative, we’ll continue to make progress toward a unified effort where voting rights is for everyone,” said Marilyn Baldwin-Richards with the United Negro College Fund.

Supporters of the voter ID law have said it’s about stopping voter fraud, not about discriminating against any group.

Celebrating the Dream continues through Friday and Saturday at the Wilmington Convention Center. Events include a speech by former UN Ambassador Andrew Young.

For more information on the event, click here.