As the nation pauses to remember the life of the late Congressman John Lewis, Reverend Al Sharpton and others gathered at National Action Network’s Harlem headquarters to push for legislation to protect voting rights.

“The way to make sure we memorialize him is to pass the voting rights bills that is in our Congress,” said Reverend Sharpton, adding that lawmakers in Washington, D.C. need to move quickly to protect the sacred right to vote.

Reverend Sharpton was joined by other political and faith leaders who reflected on the life of the former Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) member, who would go on to champion civil rights as a Congressman from Georgia.

“And that brother walked through the dungeons, where you could still smell the death of our people,” said Brooklyn Rep. Yvette Clarke.