Obama Statement on the Death of Reverend James Orange

Chicago, IL -- Today, Senator Barack Obama made the following statement on the passing of civil rights leader Reverend James Orange.

"As a trailblazer of the Civil Rights Movement, Reverend Orange was instrumental in mobilizing thousands of young people to participate in voter registration drives and marches in Alabama and throughout the South. His leadership helped inspire the Selma-to-Montgomery march, and achieve the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. And he was a powerful advocate for organized labor and the rights of workers to unionize."

"Today, Reverend Orange's courageous spirit and commitment to justice lives on in all of us who believe that change is possible. Michelle and I send our deepest sympathies to his wife and family. His legacy will never be forgotten."