Rosendall joins Rep. Norton's rally for DC Voting Rights
Impromptu remarks by Rick RosendallGLAA Vice President for Political Affairs
"Give It Back!" Vigil
Tuesday, January 2, 2001
[Note: At noon on January 2, 2001, in the Rayburn House Office Building, DC Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton held a rally for DC voting rights which was attended by approximately 200 District citizens. Co-hosting the rally with Congresswoman Norton was Ralph G. Neas of People For the American Way. Also featured at the bipartisan rally were House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt; Rep. Tom Davis, the fourth ranking Republican in the House; and Republican Representative Connie Morella. All the speakers supported restoring the right to vote on the House Floor in the Committee of the Whole that Norton first won in 1993, and Morella and Davis pledged to introduce an amendment to the Majority Rules package to that effect later that day. In addition to the speakers, the Freedom Singers led those present in several freedom songs. GLAA Political Vice President Rick Rosendall attended the rally, and was first in line when citizens were invited to offer brief comments.]
I am Rick Rosendall. I'm here on behalf of the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington. Our community is the first target of the radical right at appropriations time, so we understand what is at stake here. We have no greater ally on the Hill than Congresswoman Norton, and no better ally in the civil rights movement than Ralph Neas, going back to his days with the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. I want to thank the two of them and all of our friends who are with us today. I particularly want to thank Congressman Jim Moran, who did a fantastic job as floor manager of our appropriations bill last summer. We stand together with you. Let's keep up the fight.