Defend The Vote Action Fund Executive Director Brian Lemek spoke today at the March on Washington 2026: Defend the Vote, joining civil rights, voting rights, labor, faith and community leaders at the Lincoln Memorial on the 63rd anniversary of the historic 1963 March on Washington.
Lemek reflected on the generations of Americans who fought to expand voting rights and emphasized the responsibility of today’s generation to carry that work forward.
“63 years ago, a generation of Americans made this nation better because they believed it could do better. They understood that democracy isn’t self-executing…They understood that freedom isn’t something that you inherit. It’s something that you have to protect. Now it is our turn…That means defending the vote. Protecting every voter’s voice. And standing together when those voices are threatened. We are not protecting a process. We are defending people’s power.”
Defend The Vote Action Fund is one of the nation’s leading voting rights, pro-democracy, and anti-corruption organizations, working to protect voter access to the ballot, our election systems, and election workers. It seeks to strengthen democracy by convening Members of Congress and allies and advocating for legislation that protects the voice and vote of every American.
The March on Washington 2026: Defend the Vote, convened by Rev. Al Sharpton, the National Action Network and the Drum Major Institute, brought thousands of people to Washington to defend voting rights, protect equal opportunity and carry forward the unfinished work of the 1963 March on Washington.