Vice President Kamala Harris met with Melanie Campbell, president of the National Coalition of Black Civic Participation, and other Black female activists in the Roosevelt Room on Friday to discuss voting rights.
Many of the women who were invited to the meeting participated in a demonstration of civil disobedience at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday.
Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus was among nine protesters who were arrested by U.S. Capitol Police after leading a peaceful demonstration to advocate for voting rights inside the Hart Senate Office Building.
At least 20 Black female activists rallied against legislation across the country that Democrats argue is restricting Americans’ right to vote. They called for federal intervention and specifically the end to the filibuster rule, so the U.S. Senate can pass the For The People Act.
Protesters walked hand in hand into the Senate office building Thursday, singing and chanting, “Let the people vote!”
“This afternoon, nine people were arrested for demonstrating in a prohibited area on Capitol Grounds. At approximately 3:30pm, the United States Capitol Police responded to the Atrium in the Hart Senate Office Building for reports of illegal demonstration activity,” a U.S. Capitol Police statement said.
