On December 10, 2011 tens of thousands of people rallied at our Stand for Freedom mobilization in New York City to stand up against the forces trying block the right to vote for millions.

It was a powerful way to kick off our local and national campaign to protect our right to vote.  At the rally, President Dukes spoke before a massive crowd of people (Est. 30,000) ready to stand up and fight for their rights as American citizens.

In Dag Hammarskjold Plaza—in the shadow of the United Nations—community activist and leaders delivered information about the stark realities facing millions of Americans. Dr. Brenda Williams spoke of how she spent hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars helping her patients combat the barriers to obtaining state-issued ID in South Carolina. Anthony Papa talked about how it felt to learn that he would be ineligible to vote under laws that target the formerly incarcerated. One by one the speakers painted a picture of a shrinking pool of Americans who will be able to vote in the years ahead.

In moments like these, the NAACP New York State has always risen to the challenge, winning and preserving the rights we enjoy. Today those rights are in danger again. In 38 states and counting, strict new voter ID laws, restrictions on early voting and Sunday voting, and racially motivated bans on ex-felons have either been passed or proposed.

December 10 was International Human Rights Day. There is no better moment to recommit ourselves to the work of those who came before us. It’s our turn to work to preserve civil rights for our children and for all future generations.

If we don’t take action to stop this, no one will!