Fighting for Equal Representation
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, The Collective, the nation’s largest group of affiliated organizations dedicated to increasing Black political engagement, representation, and power across all levels of government, called for the United States Senate to abolish the filibuster and finally move forward with progressive legislation to expand the rights of historically marginalized communities. Co-founders of The Collective, Quentin James and Stefanie Brown James, released the following statement:
“The Collective calls for an end to the filibuster, a racist relic of the past that was originally intended to preserve slavery and obstruct civil rights for Black Americans. We know that we cannot truly build Black political power until the Senate rids itself of this archaic tool and finally gets to work passing critical legislation like the For The People Act, which will bring much-needed reform to voting rights, election security, gerrymandering, campaign finance, and ethics rules for federal office holders. We urge Senate Democrats to immediately abolish the filibuster and call on Senate Republicans to stop playing politics with the lives and rights of Black and marginalized communities who continue to bear the brunt of our failing institutions and the partisan rancor that has made progress through the Senate impossible.
Upholding the filibuster means upholding a broken democracy and a legacy of racial division and obstruction. We are hopeful that Senate Democrats will deliver on their bold promises and stand with the millions of Americans who are counting on them to pass the progressive policies they championed on the campaign trail and finally secure an end to the filibuster.”
ABOUT THE COLLECTIVE
The Collective is a group of affiliated organizations working to create an America where Black people are equally represented at every level of government. Through our affiliated organizations — The Collective PAC, The Collective Super PAC, Collective Future, The Collective Education Fund, and The Southern Strategy — we are strategically focused on creating a truly equitable democracy where our nation’s local, state and federal governments have diverse and talented elected leadership and Black people are fully represented in positions of power to create the policies necessary to progress our communities forward.