New Jersey Democrat Sen. Cory Booker’s 25-hour record-breaking Senate speech was a study in defiance against regressive and racist policies both past and present.
Booker, one of the few Black lawmakers in that chamber, broke a record set 68 years ago by segregationist Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, who took to the floor to filibuster against equal rights for Black people in advance of the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
Booker, whose marathon floor speech began around 7 p.m. on Monday, used much of this time to bring attention to marginalized Americans’ concerns over President Donald Trump’s discriminatory policies and what he calls the “Trump administration’s reckless actions, attempts to undermine our institutions, and disregard for the rule of law.”
During the more than daylong speech, Booker drew on references to former Georgia Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights icon, and frequently drew sharp comparisons between current struggles against Trump administration policies and historic fights for equal rights for Black people and women.
“We’re senators with all of this power, but in this democracy, the power of people is greater than the people in power,” Booker said. “The Civil Rights Movement wasn’t just won because of just a few Black folks that stood up.”
Booker’s act of resistance was assisted by fellow Democrats, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Sen. Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland, among others, who asked him questions on the Senate floor to give him a break from speaking.
Booker’s speech is also a rare show of impassioned resistance from the veteran and more moderate-leaning member of the Democratic Party. Texas Rep. Al Green, interrupted the president’s speech to Congress last month in protest and was censured by that body, but celebrated on social media for his defiance. However, more broadly, the Democrats’ moderate wing has faced blistering criticism from the progressive corner of their base for performative and tepid Trump-era protests.
“John Lewis and so many heroes before us would say that this is the time to stand up, to speak up,” Booker said as his speech got underway. “This is the time to get in some good trouble, to get into necessary trouble. I can’t allow this body to continue without doing something different, speaking out.”
Editors note: This story has updated.
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