‘We’re going backwards’: Five civil rights activists slam the supreme court’s gutting of Voting Rights Act
Summary
The Supreme Court recently weakened the Voting Rights Act, which was designed to stop racial discrimination in voting. Civil rights activists say this decision harms the efforts made for decades to protect minority voters' rights.Key Facts
- The Supreme Court's ruling in Louisiana v. Callais removed part of the Voting Rights Act that prevented racial discrimination in voting.
- This change allowed some states, like Tennessee, to redraw voting districts and reduce Black political representation.
- Historically, voting rights in the U.S. were limited to white male landowners until after the Civil War.
- The 15th Amendment gave Black men the right to vote, but Southern states used violence and unfair tests to block them.
- Major civil rights leaders and activists faced violence and death fighting for voting rights.
- The 1965 Bloody Sunday event in Selma helped lead to the Voting Rights Act, which banned practices like literacy tests and poll taxes.
- Activists say the recent court decision undermines the progress made in the civil rights movement to secure voting rights for Black Americans.
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