TRENTON - The crowd at Union Baptist Church gave a rousing standing ovation of gratitude to Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D-15) in recognition of her work on the John R. Lewis Empowerment Act.

The Assemblywoman in response thanked her pastor, Simeon Spencer of Union Baptist, for his guidance.

WATCH HER (FULL!) SPEECH BELOW

“I am truly honored to celebrate Governor Sherrill’s recent signing of this vital piece of legislation.  It’s time for states to step up to protect voting rights. New Jersey now has a clear mandate to not only protect but expand voting rights for Black voters and other voters of color who are disproportionately harmed by discriminatory practices and barriers to voting," said Reynolds-Jackson, prime sponsor in the Assembly. "With the John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act now law, New Jersey has joined the growing movement of state voting rights acts. We are now the 10th state to pass a state VRA and—because we’re New Jersey and we don’t play—ours is one of the strongest in the country. By passing our own voting rights, we are making sure that New Jersey voters—especially Black and other voters of color—are protected more by our state law than by federal law."

Also, watch the Rev. Pastor Spencer below: