Voting Rights Act 50th Anniversary celebration in Prince William County Sept. 26

Prince William County Human Rights Commission and the Office of Elections, will host a community celebration in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

That legislation banned poll taxes, literacy tests and other devices that had been used to deny voting rights to millions of citizens, primarily African-Americans.

The event will take place at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26, at Little Union Baptist Church, located at 17150 Mine Rd. in Dumfries, VA.

“The Voting Rights Act is a landmark piece of legislation that makes certain every American citizen is able to participate and actively engage in the democratic process by guaranteeing their right to vote,” Corey Stewart, chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, was quoted as saying in a press release.

“We celebrate the passage of the Voting Rights Act and also remember the struggles many in our nation had to overcome to secure and preserve that right,” he added.

Speakers at the event will include Congressman Gerry Connolly, Delegate Richard Anderson, and Karl Brower, president of the PWC Branch of the NAACP.

The event is free and open to the public, and made possible through sponsorship by: Prince William County Human Rights Commission; Prince William County Office of Elections; League of Women Voters of Virginia, Prince William Area; National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Prince William Chapter, Inc.; Prince William County Branch of the NAACP; Omicron Zeta Sigma Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc; Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Omicron Chi Omega Chapter ; Prince William County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; Pi Lambda Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.; and Creative and Performing Arts Center (CAPAC).

For more information, please contact the Prince William County Human Rights Office at 703.792.4680 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).