由于投票权立法在国会仍然停滞不前，马丁·路德·金的长子马丁·路德·金三世和他13岁的孙女约兰达·雷尼·金(Yolanda Renee King)是民权活动家联盟的成员之一，他们周一在华盛顿领导了一年一度的和平步行活动，以纪念这位民权偶像的遗产，并要求就投票权采取行动。

“我们想要的是美国人参与进来，”金三世告诉美国广播公司新闻主播林西·戴维斯，并补充说，对联邦安全警卫的需求比以往任何时候都更加迫切。“今年，我们专注于让投票权持续下去，并赋予投票权权力。”

曼德尔·恩根/法新社通过盖蒂图像

小马丁·路德·金的孙女约兰达·雷尼·金像她的父亲马蒂一样说话.

此次游行正值国会议员预计最早将于周二就修改参议院规则进行投票，该规则涵盖了《投票自由法》和约翰·刘易斯投票权促进法案。如果投票通过，这将是本届国会首次在参议院就投票权展开辩论。

据一名熟悉的民主党助手称，如果没有10名共和党人的支持，参议院多数党领袖查克·舒默预计最早将于周二提出规则修改投票。但随着温和的民主党参议员乔·曼钦(Joe Manchin)和基斯顿·西内马(Kyrsten Sinema)明确表示，他们不会投票结束参议院的阻挠议事——尽管他们都支持基本立法——活动人士要求采取行动的改革的命运尚不清楚。

伊丽莎白·弗兰茨/路透社

已故民权活动家马丁·路德·金的长子马丁·路德·金三世...

“让元老院听到你!让白宫听到你们所有人!传话!”金的孙女在她的家人带领数百名游行者穿过白雪皑皑的弗雷德里克·道格拉斯纪念桥之前说道。

尤兰达·雷尼·金对议员们言辞犀利，点名批评参议员曼钦和西内马。

“辛尼马参议员，曼钦参议员，我们的未来取决于你们的决定，历史会记住你们的选择。因此，和我一起要求为今天、明天和未来几代人采取行动，”约兰达·雷尼·金说。

她补充说，“对于所有在推特上发布、张贴和庆祝我祖父金博士的当选领导人，今天，我给你们的信息很简单，不要庆祝，立法!”

曼钦发布了声明周一庆祝国王的一生和遗产，但没有提到投票权。

“我们庆祝并纪念马丁·路德·金博士的一生，他是美国历史上最鼓舞人心和最重要的人物之一。金博士教导我们要坚持我们的信仰，通过文明、和平的方式团结我们的国家，而不是分裂它，”声明中写道。

当被问及曼钦的话是否足够时，金三世告诉美国广播公司新闻，“首先，我会说，你知道，人们发布声明有点令人沮丧，你真的没有完全坚持我父亲的理想。我父亲不仅献出了自己的生命，还为投票权而战，他和其他人献出了自己的生命。同样，曼钦参议员说，他支持一项法案，但他不会或目前还没有走上一条路，说有一条路可以走。”

他补充说，“所以我的希望和我给他的信息是参议员，你必须走得更远。你不能说‘我支持某件事’，但却没有通向(它)的途径，这就是今天谈论爸爸的任何人，因为我确信(也有)许多参议员也站在共和党一边，他们应该为自己感到羞耻，他们关闭了选民扩大和选民保护的进程。”

自2020年大选以来，至少有19个州通过了新的限制性投票法。根据无党派的布伦南正义中心的数据，全国共有34部这样的新法律，其中大部分在共和党控制的州。

许多新法律受到前总统唐纳德·特朗普(Donald Trump)对广泛选举欺诈的虚假指控的推动，旨在邮寄投票，实施更严格的选民身份证要求，允许更少的提前投票日，并限制投票箱。

众议院议长南希·佩洛西(Nancy Pelosi)周一加入了金家在国会山外的华盛顿联合车站举行的投票权集会，她在会上发言支持扩大选民准入，其他国会议员和活动家，包括国会黑人核心小组主席、俄亥俄州众议员乔伊斯·贝蒂(Joyce Beatty)和阿尔·夏普顿牧师也在会上发言。

佩洛西说:“国会和我高度赞扬民主党领袖查克·舒默(Chuck Schumer)坚持不懈地努力完成这项工作，并赞扬总统的领导能力，但我们必须完成这项工作。”随后，他开始为改变参议院规则为选举改革立法让路进行辩论。

佩洛西说:“虽然对他们来说，阻挠议事可能是一个重要的习俗，但这不是美国宪法，事实是这样的。“如果你真的想尊敬金博士，不要用压缩习俗作为我们民主的借口来羞辱他。”

贝蒂跟随佩洛西，告诉支持者，“沉默不是一种选择。”

她说:“我们不会放弃将投票权立法纳入法律的努力，也不会允许阻挠议事程序剥夺我们的民主和投票权。

Martin Luther King Jr.'s family leads march urging lawmakers to pass federal voting rights

As voting rights legislation remains stalled in Congress, Martin Luther King Jr.'s eldest son, Martin Luther King III, and his 13-year-old granddaughter, Yolanda Renee King, were among a coalition of civil rights activists who led the annual Peace Walk in Washington on Monday to honor the legacy of the civil rights icon and demand action on voting rights.

"What we want is for Americans to be engaged," King III told ABC News anchor Linsey Davis, adding that the need for federal safety guards is more urgent than ever. "This year, we are laser focused on getting the right to vote sustained and getting the right to vote empowered."

The march comes as lawmakers are expected to take up a vote to change the Senate rules as early as Tuesday that encompasses both theFreedom to Vote Actand the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. If voted to proceed, it would be the first time this Congress takes up a debate on voting rights in the Senate.

Without the support of 10 Republicans needed to overcome a GOP filibuster to block the legislation, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is expected to raise a rules change vote as early as Tuesday, according to a Democratic aide familiar. But with moderate Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema making clear they will not vote to end the Senate's filibuster -- even though both support the underlying legislation -- the fate of the reforms that activists are demanding action on is unclear.

"Let the Senate hear you! Let the White House hear you all! Spread the word!" said King's granddaughter before her family led hundreds of marchers across a snow-capped Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge.

Yolanda Renee Kinghad sharp words for lawmakers, calling out Senators Manchin and Sinema by name.

"Sen. Sinema, Sen. Manchin, our future hinges on your decision and history will remember what choice you make. So join me in demanding action for today, tomorrow and generations to come," Yolanda Renee King said.

She added, "For all the elected leaders out there who are tweeting, posting and celebrating my grandfather, Dr. King, today, my message to you is simple do not celebrate, legislate!"

Manchin released astatementMonday celebrating the life and legacy of King, but made no mention of voting rights.

"We celebrate and honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., one of the most inspiring and important figures in American history. Dr. King taught us to stand up for what we believe in through civil, peaceful means to unite our nation instead of divide it," the statement read.

When asked if Manchin's words are enough, King III told ABC News, "First of all, I would say that, you know, it's kind of frustrating for people to be releasing statements and you really have not totally adhered to my father's ideals. My father not only gave his life, but he fought for the right to vote, and he and others gave their lives. And again, Sen. Manchin says he supports a bill but he won't move or is not so far moved on a pathway to say that there's a pathway for it."

He added, "So my hope and my message to him would be senator, you got to go further. You can't say, 'I'm for something' but don't have a pathway to [it], and that's anybody who's talking about dad today, because I'm sure [there are also] many senators also on the Republican side, who ought to be ashamed of themselves, who have shut down the process for voter expansion, voter protections."

At least 19 states have passed new restrictive voting laws since the 2020 election. There have been 34 such new laws in total across the country, according to the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice, and most of them in states controlled by Republicans.

Many of the new laws, fueled by false claims of widespread election fraud by former President Donald Trump, take aim at mail-in voting, implement stricter voter ID requirements, allow fewer early voting days and limit ballot drop boxes.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined the King family Monday for a voting rights rally at Washington's Union Station outside Capitol Hill, where she spoke in support of expanding voter access, alongside other members of Congress and activists, including Congressional Black Caucus Chair Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, and Rev. Al Sharpton.

"The Congress and I give great credit to the Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer for his relentless and persistence and trying to get this done, and to the president for his leadership, but we have to get this done," Pelosi said, before launching into an argument for changing Senate rules to make way for election reform legislation.

"While it may be true to them that the filibuster is an important custom, it is not the Constitution of the United States, the truth is," Pelosi said. "If you really truly want to honor Dr. King, don't dishonor him by using compression of custom as an excuse for our democracy."

Beatty, following Pelosi, told the crowd of supporters, "Silence is not an option."

"We will not yield our efforts to enshrine voting rights legislation into law, nor will we allow a filibuster to filibuster away our democracy and our voting rights," she said.