Today’s SCOTUS decision overturning the Defense Of Marriage Act is more than welcome, it’s long overdue. Clinton should never have signed it, but the further we get to fairness and justice in the U.S., the more intense the pushback. The nice thing is that “gay marriage” can be simply “marriage” for now, as far as the federal government is concerned.

Speaking of pushback, the Voting Rights Act was struck down yesterday. This is bad news for voters in NY, CA, and the other states affected by that law, but it’s also a rallying cry to the rest of the country. There’s no excuse for making black voters wait twice as long as white voters in this country. Jim Crow may be gone, but historic injustice remains.

So the work isn’t done. Same-sex marriage legislation needs to be passed in states all across the country. National legislation that ensures convenient access to voting booths nationwide needs to be enacted, not just in the parts of the country covered by the VRA.

We can do this. It’s up to the people to create a just society; no one will do it for us. If you want to know what to do, writing a personalized letter to your elected representatives–even if they’re far on the other end of the political spectrum from you–is surprisingly effective.