On the voting rights trail, bus riders to Montgomery retrace old steps while fighting a new fight
Summary
A group of voting rights activists traveled by bus to Montgomery, Alabama, to mark the historic 1965 voting rights march and to protest recent laws and court rulings that reduce Black voting power. The event aimed to raise awareness and continue the fight for fair voting rights after a Supreme Court decision limited protections established by the Voting Rights Act.Key Facts
- In 1965, Black Americans marched in Alabama for voting rights and were initially stopped by state troopers before completing their march with federal protection.
- Keith Odom, who was a toddler in 1965, joined a group of activists traveling from South Carolina to Montgomery to retrace the march’s path.
- The original 1965 march helped lead to the Voting Rights Act, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, which protected voting rights for Black and nonwhite Americans.
- The recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling invalidated a majority-Black congressional district in Louisiana, saying using race in drawing political maps is discriminatory.
- This ruling led states like Alabama to redraw voting districts, often making it harder for Black voters to elect representatives of their choice.
- The May 16, 2026 rally in Montgomery was a mass response to this ruling and an effort to renew the fight for voting rights.
- Many young activists attending the rally were not old enough to vote when the Voting Rights Act was passed and see it as their turn to act.
- The event highlighted ongoing concerns about protecting voting rights and political representation for Black Americans.
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