Six Democrats Just Betrayed Us—1,000 Miles to Memphis Cannot Wait

The so-called "SAVE Act" is one step closer to becoming law. The window to fight back is closing. This is the moment.

This week, six Democrats voted with MAGA Republicans to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 216-212. They are:

• Don Davis (NC)

• Henry Cuellar (TX)

• Jared Golden (ME)

• Adam Gray (CA)

• Vicente Gonzalez (TX)

• Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA)

Meanwhile, six Republicans broke with their party to vote against it. Which means if Hakeem Jeffries had kept his caucus united—if these six Democrats had simply held the line—the bill would have failed 212-216. But it passed. Because six Democrats chose the wrong side. Let’s Address This.

US and Israeli soldiers wave their countries’ flags during a training exercise in Israel on February 28, 2023. (Photo by US Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Emma Gray)

The NDAA And Destruction of Democracy

This particular NDAA does two things horrifying that should alarm every American who believes in democracy.

First, it effectively hands over a portion of the US military to Benjamin Netanyahu—a man the ICC has issued an arrest warrant for war crimes. How is this not treason?

Second—and this is the part that directly impacts every person reading this—it attaches Trump’s fascist SAVE Act to the bill, gutting voting rights for millions.

I have sounded the alarm on this draconian piece of legislation since 2024 when it was first introduced under President Biden. The short version: it is a coordinated campaign to deny many Americans—disproportionately Black, brown, and poor—access to the ballot box. If passed, Black people will have fewer voting rights in 2026 than they did in 1966. And six Democrats just helped move it one step closer to becoming law.

This is indefensible. It is infuriating. But take note, we are not helpless.

This Is Exactly Why We Are Marching

On July 25th in Nashville, we kick off a 1,000 mile journey. We are marching because the Supreme Court gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act in Louisiana v. Callais. And because the horrific “SAVE Act” is one step closer to becoming law, and permanently installing fascism in America.

But let me be honest. We are also marching because I am tired—painfully tired—of protests that trend on social media for a day and dissipate with the news cycle. I am tired of the status quo that makes noise and demands too little.

So we’re doing something about it.

1,000 Miles to Memphis exists to be different. Every mile is a voter registration opportunity. Every stop is an organizing event. Every city on the route—Nashville, Atlanta, Birmingham, Jackson, Memphis—is a community that needs resources, visibility, and solidarity. And our target is measurable: 100,000 voter registrations.

After kicking off July 25th in Nashville, we march for 30 plus days through Atlanta, Birmingham, Jackson, and Memphis—ending at the National Civil Rights Museum where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood with striking sanitation workers in 1968. We are marching for the descendants of that same struggle—and for every American whose right to vote is under attack right now.

We will be joined along the route by members of Congress, state elected officials, surprise guests, and musical artists whose presence we will announce soon. This coalition is growing. And we need you with us. Here’s how.

Three Ways to Activate—Pick At Least One

If you are reading this, I ask you commit to at least one of the following. Ideally two. And if you can, all three.

ONE: Show Up. Walk a mile, a day, or a full leg of the route. Bring your family. Bring your community. Bring your phone and your camera. Your physical presence—your body on those roads—is an act of solidarity that no social media post can replicate. Come stand with the communities most impacted by what passed in Congress this week.

TWO: Donate. 1,000 Miles to Memphis is a project of Just Win Humanity—a 501(c)(3) public charity. Your donation is tax-deductible and goes directly to voter registration infrastructure, organizing events, and the logistical backbone of a month-long march across five Southern cities. Especially if you cannot march in person—this is how you show up anyway.

THREE: Register Yourself and Your Network. You do not have to be in Nashville or Memphis to register voters. You can do it right now, from wherever you are. Share our registration link with everyone in your network. Commit to getting 10 people who have never voted before to register. Post about it using #1000Miles. That’s the ask.

Also, use hashtags #1000Miles and #CourageNow on every post. Follow and tag @JustWinHumanity on Instagram so your community can find us.

What This Week Proved

Don Davis, Henry Cuellar, Jared Golden, Adam Gray, Vicente Gonzalez, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez voted this week to move voter suppression one step closer to law. Six Republicans voted the other way. The bill passed because six Democrats refused to hold the line.

The same failure that produced the Chuck Schumer brand of politics, that handed us corporate centrists who vote with MAGA when the pressure gets uncomfortable, makes 1,000 Miles to Memphis not just important but absolutely necessary.

We cannot wait for the Democratic caucus to find its spine. We must lead by example and protect voting rights. Here’s how.

1,000 miles. 30 days. 100,000 voters registered.

Walk with us. Donate. Register your network.

Because democracy does not defend itself—and this week proved it.

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Qasim Rashid is a human rights attorney, President of Just Win Humanity, and host of Let’s Address This. The march begins tomorrow, July 25th. Donate, share and show up.

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