HONORING THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE RICHMOND CRUSADE FOR VOTERS

On 2026-10-13, Representative Jennifer L. McClellan (D-VA-4) delivered a floor speech titled "HONORING THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE RICHMOND CRUSADE FOR VOTERS" in the House.

HONORING THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE RICHMOND CRUSADE FOR VOTERS

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 160 (Tuesday, October 13, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 160 (Tuesday, October 13, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E1076] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE RICHMOND CRUSADE FOR VOTERS ______ HON. JENNIFER L. McCLELLAN of virginia in the house of representatives Tuesday, October 13, 2026 Ms. McCLELLAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 70th anniversary of the Richmond Crusade for Voters, one of the oldest civil rights organizations in Richmond, Virginia, and to honor its seven decades of work to empower voters and advance justice and equality in our community. The Richmond Crusade for Voters was founded in 1956 at a pivotal moment in Virginia's history. Just two years earlier, the Supreme Court issued its landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education, declaring segregated public schools unconstitutional. Yet rather than comply with that decision, Virginia's leaders embarked on a campaign of Massive Resistance designed to preserve segregation and defy the promise of equal protection under the law. Black Richmonders understood that changing those laws and changing the leaders who wrote and enforced them required political power. They understood that the right to vote was not merely a right to be exercised on Election Day, but a tool to hold government accountable and create lasting change. It was in that spirit that the Richmond Crusade for Voters was born. From its earliest days, the Crusade worked to register and educate voters, increase political participation, evaluate candidates for public office, advocate for economic opportunity and minority-owned businesses and ensure that the voices of Black Richmonders were heard in the halls of government. Importantly, the Crusade carried out that mission as a bipartisan organization focused not on party labels, but on whether candidates will advance justice, opportunity and the interests of the communities they seek to serve. For 70 years, that mission has endured. Generations of Crusade members have helped Richmonders understand the power of their vote and the responsibility each of us has to participate in our democracy. They have registered voters, educated our neighbors about the issues affecting their lives, held elected officials accountable and helped ensure that communities once deliberately excluded from the political process have a meaningful voice in shaping their government. The Commonwealth has changed dramatically since 1956. As someone who has spent much of my career protecting and expanding the right to vote, I know progress did not happen by accident. It happened because people organized and demanded change. It happened because generations of Virginians refused to accept a democracy that did not include them. It happened because organizations like the Richmond Crusade for Voters understood that the promise of our democracy can only be fulfilled when people exercise their power within it. That work remains as important today as it was 70 years ago. The right to vote is foundational to every other right we enjoy, and our democracy is strongest when every eligible voter can make their voice heard, every community has a seat at the table, and every elected official is accountable to the people they serve. I thank the Crusade for 70 years of service to Richmond and the Commonwealth of Virginia and for its unwavering commitment to voter education, civic participation, economic opportunity, justice and equality. May its legacy inspire the next generation of Richmonders to make their voices heard and carry this important work forward for the next 70 years and beyond. ____________________