i picketed woolworths as a harvard graduate student in those days. the state of race relations that i have witnessed in my own lifetime is unparalleled in the history of any other nation. the passage of the voting rights act marked the death knell of the jim crow south. it was one of the great moments in the history of american democracy. >> thank you. >> and actually if there was a glass of water around, i would love to have it. i got a scratchy voice. the voting rights act is the crown jewel of federal civil rights law. but the enforcement of the statute today arguably serves as a break on the political aspirations and a barrier on black political aspirations and a barrier to greater political integration. most black legislators are elected in majority black districts created to meet the demands of the statute. while the country has moved steadily, if unevenly towards racial integration, the law has created a black legislative class generally inexperienced in putting together biracial coalitions, elected from districts in which there are no politic