Friday, July 28, 2006
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Civil rights leaders said Thursday that President Bush's signature to extend the 1960s civil rights law against racist voting practices will be just a footnote in history if the government fails to enforce it.
At a bill signing ceremony at the White House to extend provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, Bush pledged to stand behind the law that opened polls to millions of black Americans.
"Today, we renew a bill that helped bring a community on the margins into the life of American democracy," Bush said. "My administration will vigorously enforce the provisions of this law, and we will defend it in court."
Noting the president's words on enforcement, civil rights activist Al Sharpton said: "You can bet we'll make sure that he keeps his pledge."
Sharpton called on Bush to meet immediately with civil rights leaders to talk over how the Justice Department will monitor the enforcement of the act. "Today's events represent a significant victory for African-Americans, but a complete victory it is not," Sharpton said.
Civil rights activists accuse the Bush administration of politicizing the Justice Department's civil rights division, and say it has turned a blind eye to voter suppression tactics, such as photo identification provisions and citizenship requirements, in states across the nation.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson said Bush rightly talked of "enforcement" and how the "work for a more perfect union is never ending." But he said civil rights leaders must be assured that the administration will protect the law against efforts in the courts to undermine it.
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.