Former State Senator Charles Jones spoke to the Monroe Dispatch recently, giving his views on where things stand in Congress concerning voting rights in America. Sen. Jones was very passionate in his words shared with this reporter over why we are at this juncture in American history fighting for something that was supposed to have been settled 57 years ago. Jones referred to the 1965 Voting Rights Bill signed into law by Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson after a long bitter struggle by Civil Rights leaders fighting to bring Blacks the right to vote. Jones believes that Black people owe a great deal to those who marched, often at their own peril to beatings, death threats, and even the murders of many Black people to exercise a right given to us by the Constitution. The 15th Amendment ratified on February 3, 1870, in part read, "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." It should be noted that the amendment only applied to African-American men because women did not have the right to vote at that time. That didn't stop local and state governments from finding ways to weaken the amendment to keep African-American men from voting when Whites took back control of state and local government. When political power switched, African-Americans were again pushed back to the end of the line with their rights to vote being disenfranchised, as the federal government neglected the Constitution. He also recognizes the many sacrifices made by those Black men who fought for the U.S. in both World Wars, fighting for honor and respect for our freedoms, only to be denied the right to vote. Jones was particularly passionate about military service because dozens of his family members have served in the military throughout the years. The fight continues. Jones asserts that it is ironic and shameful that after much progression in our country, the struggle for voting rights continues. He notices it being played out in Washington and around the nation in debates, despite clear constitutional rules that call for equality for voting rights of all American citizens. Jones declared that we must ask ourselves - what are we going to do to ensure that the right to vote is guaranteed to us? Having studied and practiced law, he understands the filibuster as only a rule and not law. The filibuster can be changed, altered, or eliminated, as it is not written in stone. Still, due to the political climate in this nation, we no longer see majority rule when it doesn't suit the other party. Once again, we see that there are some who are willing to uphold the 15th Amendment and some who willingly watch as a democratic principle is stripped away from minorities. If the Constitution won't prevail, what will?

"We must win this fight now so that our children and grandchildren won't have to fight for this right. The fight must go on, or the work and sacrifices of those who marched before us would be in vain." said Jones.