First published in the Grio.

As the United States marks 58 years since the landmark Voting Rights Act became law, civil rights leaders are reflecting on the pivotal achievement of enfranchisement for Black Americans and the challenges, both new and old, that threaten the fundamental right to vote.

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Svante Myrick, president and CEO of the liberal advocacy group People For the American Way, told the Grio that if the current state of voting rights remains in years to come, young people and future voters “will have fewer rights” than previous generations.

“It’s up to us to march again. It’s up to us to register as many people as we can. It’s up to us to pick up that banner and carry that fight forward to the next generation,” said Myrick, the former mayor of Ithaca, New York. “Because if we don’t, we will have not only failed Dr. King, his legacy, and the legacy of all the civil rights leaders, but we will be failing our children.”

Read the full story at the Grio.