‘They may draw racist maps, but we are the south’: thousands rally in Alabama for Black voting rights

Key Points:

• Thousands gathered in Montgomery, Alabama, for the All Roads Lead to the South rally, protesting the Supreme Court’s Louisiana v. Callais decision that weakened the Voting Rights Act and protections against voting discrimination.
• The rally, held at the Alabama state capitol plaza—historic for the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches—was organized by national and local civic groups and featured speeches from activists and elected officials including Senators Cory Booker and Raphael Warnock.
• Republican-led states have quickly redrawn voting maps to diminish Black political power following the court ruling, with Tennessee and Florida already passing new maps and others like Alabama, Louisiana, and Georgia expected to follow suit.
• The event combined political mobilization with elements reminiscent of the civil rights movement, including prayers, gospel music, and personal testimonies from attendees whose families were involved in past voting rights struggles.
• The rally was part of a broader movement, with over 50 satellite events nationwide, emphasizing that the fight for voting rights and a just democracy continues beyond this historic gathering.