Bellingham mayor, council urge action on voting rights bills on Martin Luther King Jr. Day
The Bellingham City Council and Mayor Seth Fleetwood are joining the call to action from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s family to honor King’s legacy by supporting and advocating for voting rights legislation on Monday’s holiday.
In an open letter to the nation, King’s family called on people across the United States to advocate for the passage of voting rights legislation that has stalled in the U.S. Senate. The bills — The Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act — address voter registration, access and redistricting, among other issues.
After failing to meet a self-imposed deadline of Monday, Jan. 17, to either pass the voting legislation or consider revising filibuster rules, debate on the voting acts will begin Tuesday, Jan. 18, in the Senate, according to the Associated Press.
As part of a way to commemorate King’s life with a “day on” with a day of service and a day to “educate, advocate and activate,” rather than a day off, Bellingham’s mayor and city council signed and passed a proclamation and resolution declaring support for the voting rights legislation, as well as urging Washington’s Congressional delegation and members of the Bellingham community to insist the passage of the legislation.
Fleetwood signed a proclamation Jan. 7 supporting the voting rights bills and the call from King’s family to use Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a day of action.
“We refuse to stand by silent while voter rights are eroded,” Fleetwood’s proclamation states.
The proclamation will be sent to the Washington State Congressional delegation and urges community members to participate in advocating for the voting legislation by contacting their Congressional representatives.
The City Council resolution, which passed unanimously at the council’s Jan. 10 evening meeting, mirrors Fleetwood’s proclamation. The resolution will also be sent to the state’s Congressional representatives.
The proclamation and resolution was presented by Fleetwood and City Council member Edwin “Skip” Williams. Williams and Kristina Michele Martens made history as the first two Black members of the Bellingham City Council, according to previous reporting in The Bellingham Herald.
At the Monday night meeting, Council member Michael Lilliquist said he believes better policies need to be pursued when it comes to voting rights. He said that during the swearing-in ceremony, he said he was worried about democracy and worried about the curtailment of voting rights due to bad policies being pursued by some people in office.
“So as elected officials, I’m really glad to see us standing up for greater access to the right of people to vote,” Lilliquist said during the Monday evening meeting.
In addition the supporting and advocating for the passage of the two voting rights bills, the following events will take place on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, Jan. 17:
▪ A volunteer event with the city and the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association: Volunteers will help restore habitat in Squalicum Creek Park. All ages and abilities are welcome and no previous volunteer experience is necessary. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to noon Monday, and event details and registration can be found online at cob.org/event/mlk2022.
▪ A virtual event featuring Ibram X. Kendi: Western Washington University, the city and other regional partners are hosting a virtual event featuring New York Times best-selling author and 2021 MacArthur Fellowship (commonly known as the Genius Grant) recipient, Ibram X. Kendi. Speeches and performances, including remarks by city council member Martens, will also occur. Kendi is expected to address America’s struggle for voting rights. The event will take place from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday, and event details and registration can be found online at wwu.edu/mlk.
The Bellingham Organizing Committee for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which typically holds an event featuring speeches and the Kulshan Chorus, has canceled its event at the Mount Baker Theatre Monday in respect of the King family’s requests and due to rising case counts of COVID-19.
“Voting rights was central, absolutely central, to King’s agenda and that of the Southern Freedom Struggle,” committee spokesperson Clyde Ford said in a prepared statement. “It is distasteful to watch partisans across the country enact legislation to restrict these voting rights, which many men and women in previous years have protested and died for. Although some would like to turn back the clock on voting rights, we will not go back to a time when the voices of the enslaved and marginalized were barred from being heard at the ballot box.”
