Packed suitcases rolled across scorching pavement to be loaded onto buses set to take hundreds of people from Phoenix for Washington, D.C.
Their goal is to pressure lawmakers into passing the For the People Act, a Democratic-supported voting rights and election bill stalled in Congress.
The eastbound coalition of advocacy groups left Friday and chose the name Freedom Riders to help mark the 60th anniversary of the campaign to challenge segregation.
Air Force veteran Marilyn Wilbur was among those making the 10-day cross-country trip. She backs the sweeping bill that months ago passed the House of Representatives and is stuck in the Senate.
“I’ve sacrificed a lot. I’ve put my life on the line for people to have voting rights,” said Wilbur, who lives in Surprise and used to be stationed at Luke Air Force Base. “There were people that I know that died that gave all they had for people to vote.”
The bill Wilbur wants passed is scheduled for a key vote next week in the Senate, where it needs the backing of 60 lawmakers to overcome the chamber’s filibuster rule.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
