Imani Oakley, Progressive Candidate for NJCD 10, Joins MLK3 and Al Sharpton in DC for March on Voting Rights
Imani Oakley, Progressive Candidate for NJCD 10,
Joins MLK3 and Al Sharpton in DC for March on Voting Rights
Washington, DC — Imani Oakley — pro-democracy activist and progressive candidate for Congress in New Jersey’s 10th congressional district — arrived in Washington Saturday to join the mass mobilization led by Martin Luther King III and Rev. Al Sharpton urging the Senate to pass crucial voting rights legislation.
“Voting rights is the ultimate issue,” Oakley said. “The fight for voting rights sits at the very heart of our work to create a true multi-racial democracy. Everything else — a Green New Deal, Medicare 4 All, student loan forgiveness — it all stems from having the true representation that strong voting rights guarantee”
The event — titled the March On For Washington and Voting Rights — sought to apply public pressure on US senators to pass the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which are currently stalled in the Senate due to Republican opposition. The main march in DC was also supplemented by mobilizations across the country.
Oakley’s decision to attend was rooted in her fight for better democracy in New Jersey — specifically her work countering the ballot line. During her time as a political organizer, Oakley worked to expose the negative effects of New Jersey’s ballot design on the state’s democracy in general — and the electoral power of the state’s Black and Brown voters.
“The ballot line rigs our elections against challengers and ultimately marginalized communities,” Oakley said. ”New Jersey is often called the ‘Jim Crow of the North’ so of course it has to be part of the discussion on voting rights.”
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Imani Oakley is a long-time political organizer and pro-democracy activist running for Congress in New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District. The seat covers parts of Essex, Union, and Hudson counties. Her time working in New Jersey political spaces has made one thing clear: our state suffers from rabid corruption. Her campaign is dedicated to ending this system and lifting up working-class communities.
For more information about Imani, please visit: Oakleyforcongress.com
