“They deserve consideration and understanding instead of the persecution of twisted propaganda." - Strom Thurmond following the release of the Southern Manifesto, 1956 

Ironic. Thurmond was not speaking of minority or marginalized groups, he spoke not of Black Americans or Women, not of the elderly or the youth. His deepest regards mentioned above were in regards to the following sentiment: “The white people of the South are the greatest minority in this nation.” 

On the 28th of August, Strom Thurmond took the Senate floor and sought to prevent the Civil Rights Act of 1957. With a  twenty-four-hour and eighteen-minute-long filibuster, Thurmond broke a record —  one marked with a display of bigotry and hatred; a testament to repeated obstructions of justice in the United States of America. 

Yet resistance to progress is just that, it is solely resistance. What resistance fails to do, is overpower reclamation and protest. It fails to prevail anger and determination for change. Cory Booker, New Jersey Senator of the Democratic Party broke barriers on  Monday, March 31, 2025, to 8:05 PM EDT on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, as he spoke on the Senate floor for 25 hours and five minutes. 

Booker’s filibuster was more than just a display of anger — it was hours upon hours of detailed and educated discussion of the calculated errors of the Trump Administration. He discussed budget cuts, healthcare barriers, environmental injustices, economic inequity, and regressive policies. He urged for actions across all systems that affect access to social services and human rights such as medicaid and medicare, the rights of public institutions in education, and changes in environmental degradation. He demanded citizens of the country to stand against attacks on democracy and to fight to disrupt all policies that stood unethical and immoral.

With years of experience and education in public policy, political science, and government, Booker reclaimed his sentiments for pursuit toward ethical policies as a form of fueling positive change. With mention of topics such as immigration, Booker urged for the importance of compassionate reform within the Deferred Action for Childhood Program(DACA) in hopes of a pathway to equitable citizenship that keeps families together. He defended his views on criminal justice reform, voting rights, such as the restoration of the Voting Rights Act, and spoke to strengthen the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of which the Trump Administration has been set out to dissolve.

Booker has permanently changed the history of the Senate floor in the United States of America. With passion for change and a pathway to progress that protects the lives of the silenced, he rejects and overpowers the dark words of Strom Thurmond who had spent far too many hours protecting injustice. With words and educated action, Booker shows a new generation of change that is waiting to be reclaimed.

"I rise tonight with the intention of disrupting the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able. These are extraordinary times in our country, and they should not be regarded as ordinary within this chamber.” - Cory Booker as he begins a twenty-five hour and five minute filibuster to break the national record, 2025.