Leader Jeffries Speaks at the 2026 March on Washington

Good afternoon. It's a high honor and a distinct privilege to stand with my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus, Reverend Sharpton, the King family, the National Action Network, and the civil rights community as we commemorate the 63rd anniversary of the March on Washington and prepare for the battles ahead. We certainly have come a long way in the United States of America, but we still have a long way to go. These are challenging times in this country right now. We have a hater in the White House, a reckless and costly war of choice raging in the Middle East, a Supreme Court that's out of control. Black unemployment is up, Black home ownership is down, and Black political representation is under assault with Jim Crow-like tactics all throughout the South. Challenging times, wickedness in high places, but we're not distressed because our community knows how to make a way out of no way. We're facing a crossroads right now here in the United States of America. The question is which direction will we choose? We want to move America forward. The extremists are trying to turn back the clock. We're working hard to bring people together. The extremists are tearing the country apart. We believe in truth and reconciliation. The extremists want to erase our history, but Black history is American history. Our story will never be erased. And so we come today in the spirit of Frederick Douglass. We come today in the spirit of Sojourner Truth. We come today in the spirit of Jackie Robinson. We come today in the spirit of Rosa Parks. We come today in the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. We come today in the spirit of Muhammad Ali. We come today in the spirit of Fannie Lou Hamer. We come today in the spirit of Adam Clayton Powell Jr. We come today in the spirit of Shirley Chisholm. And we come today in the spirit of the great John Lewis because it's time for us to get into some good trouble. Necessary trouble. Good trouble. We fight for liberty and justice for all. We fight for equal protection under the law. We fight for free and fair elections. We fight for work wages and wealth creation. We fight for jobs and freedom. We fight for racial justice. We fight for economic justice. We fight for social justice. We fight for civil rights. And we fight to pass the John Robert Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act so we can end the era of voter suppression in the United States of America once and for all. So let's continue to show up, to stand up, and to speak up to make this country the best version of herself. And when we do, together, I'm confident that we will win the day, win the week, win the month, win the year, win the hearts and minds of the American people, and then on November 3rd, win back control of the United States House of Representatives so we can end this national nightmare and continue our march toward a more perfect union. God bless you.