NAACP Arlington Branch president and pastor Dr. DeLishia A. Davis gave a powerful speech during the opening reception of the Virginia voting rights exhibition "From Barriers to Ballots."
The exhibitions are on view during regular opening hours through Nov. 4, 2025, at Bozman Government Center, Arlington Central Library, Arlington Historical Museum, Black Heritage Museum of Arlington and the City of Fairfax Regional Library.
This video was recorded on August 6, 2025, at Central Library for the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. You can read the transcript of the speech below or stream it online.
The initial moments of the speech reference Davis's grandfather, the late Rev. Robert D. Boykin of Wilmington, North Carolina. He passed away on January 23, 2025 at the age of 97.
The transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
The 60th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965
Good evening, friends, neighbors and beloved community,
Today, we gather to mark the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965—one of the most significant victories of the Civil Rights Movement and a profound declaration of American democracy.
This legislation was not gifted to us. It was earned through sweat, sacrifice and sheer moral courage. It was won on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, where people of every age and background stood against hatred and brutality to affirm the dignity of the vote.
The Vote is Precious. It is Almost Sacred.
As the late Congressman John Lewis, a hero of that bridge, once said: “The vote is precious. It is almost sacred. It is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have in a democratic society, and we must use it.”
The Voting Rights Act gave legal power to that sacred tool. But 60 years later, we find ourselves in a sobering moment—a time when voting rights are once again under attack, when voter suppression wears new clothes, and when equity remains a dream deferred for too many.
Let us be clear: To truly honor the Voting Rights Act is not just to remember it—it is to defend its purpose. Because the same forces of racism and injustice that required its passage still seek to silence and divide us today.
The Arc Bends Toward Justice.
As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., reminded us,“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
However, friends, it does not bend on its own. We must bend it. With action. With truth. With an unrelenting commitment to justice. We must fight for accessible, fair and inclusive elections. We must demand policies that affirm human dignity and racial equity. And we must do this work—together.
Make Good Trouble.
John Lewis also urged us to make “good trouble, necessary trouble.” So, we must. Because the dream of an anti-racist, just society is not a relic of the past—it is a calling for our present and a hope for our future.
Let us link arms like those who came before us. Let us vote, speak out, organize and refuse to be silent. Let us protect not just the laws of democracy, but the soul of it.
May we keep walking, keep marching, keep making good trouble and keep the promise of justice alive for generations to come.
Thank you.
(Song)
We shall overcome, we shall overcome, we shall overcome someday.
Deep in my heart, I do believe we shall overcome someday.
We’ll walk hand in hand, we’ll walk hand in hand, we’ll walk hand in hand someday
Deep in my heart, I do believe we shall overcome someday.
About Reverend Dr. DeLishia A. Davis
Reverend DeLishia A. Davis is the current president of the Arlington branch of the NAACP. She has been a Methodist pastor for nearly three decades and has served congregations in Ohio, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Virginia.
In addition to her pastoral duties, Rev. Davis serves as the Chaplain of the National Council of Negro Women in Northern Virginia, providing spiritual guidance and support to empower women of color.
As a board member for People for the American Way, Rev. Davis works to protect and expand the rights of all citizens. Beyond her advocacy work, Rev. Davis is also a dedicated English literature teacher.