Police at the U.S. Capitol arrested Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) Thursday, making her the third Black lawmaker and member of the Black Congressional Caucus to be detained in the last three weeks while protesting for voting rights.
"Some people want to juxtapose against us that we are angry against the values of this nation," Jackson Lee said outside the United Methodist Building on Capitol Hill, adjacent to the Capitol and Supreme Court.
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The Congresswoman and organizers hoped to spotlight the Senate's inaction on the For the People Act.
"So the reason why we're out here today," Jackson Lee added, "is to be able to say to you that no one should dismiss civil disobedience as a valid and important aspect of our strength and our power."
From the Methodist building, Jackson Lee and several organizations dedicated to Black female voters marched to the Senate'sSenate's Hart Building, where they formed a human chain blocking the entrance.
Capitol Police told them to disperse several times before arresting Rep. Jackson Lee and several others around 5 p.m. local time.
"I believe … when you realize the 15th Amendment has guaranteed the fundamental right to vote, any action that is a peaceful act of civil disobedience is worthy," Rep. Jackson Lee said in a video posted to Twitter.
In a tweet posted with a photo of her arrest, Jackson Lee said, "I will NEVER stop fighting for Voting Rights! The time is NOW to move the voting rights bills in the U.S. Senate forward!! Enough is enough."
