Civil rights leaders expressed disappointment at the U.S. Senate's failure to advance key voting rights legislation and change the filibuster rule, but they were also resolute in their will to keep fighting for equal and fair elections in a crucial election year.

Politics

Almost 152 years since Black voting rights were established by the 15th Amendment, federal intervention to protect voting rights remains essential.

"This is a fundamental question of whether or not we are going to have a just, inclusive multiracial democracy as America continues to grow," Butler said.

NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson expertly trolled Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema and her staunch opposition to voting rights by resurfacing one of her old tweets that called voting rights icon John Lewis her "hero."

Some of the leading advocates who have long sounded the alarm about the urgency for Congress to advance any bills on voting rights are skipping Biden's speech in Atlanta about voting rights, suggesting the president's words are too little, too late.

Civil rights groups and leaders who have been advocating for fair elections were given a glimmer of hope on Thursday when President Joe Biden seemingly signaled his support for finally ending the filibuster.

The NAACP offered to bail out any Texas House Democrat who gets arrested for walking out of the chamber in an effort to block racist election laws from being enacted in that state.

Clyburn echoed concerns about Senate obstruction on constitutional rights, calling for an exception to the filibuster.

Capitol Police included the 79-year-old Rev. Jesse Jackson among the 20 people it detained and arrested for protesting against the filibuster on Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

Democrats were sent back to square one after Senate Republicans used a filibuster to block the For The People Act -- legislation that would have overhauled U.S. elections and greatly benefitted Black voters, in particular.

The Democratic Senator from West Virginia penned an op-ed opposing Democracy reform legislation, citing a lack of bipartisan support despite evidence of Republican coordination to pass voter suppression laws.

All but six Republicans voted against advancing a bill that would create an independent commission to study the U.S. Capitol attack, using the procedural mechanism known as the filibuster to end the bill's discussion.