By Alabama Public Radio
Washington, DC – Civil Rights attorney Fred Gray is speaking publicly again in favor of renewing the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Gray is a lawyer from Tuskegee who has a long history in the Civil Rights movement. He has represented Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Junior. He made his comments Wednesday during testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Voting Rights Act was originally created four decades ago to end racist practices such as poll taxes and literacy tests in Southern states. It imposed tighter voting guidelines, and the measure was last reauthorized by Congress in 1982. The House Judiciary Committee has already approved the act's renewal.