‘We will not go back to Jim Crow’: thousand of Mississippians rally for voting rights
The Guardian • • nation
Key Points:
- Thousands gathered at Mississippi’s War Memorial Building to protest the Supreme Court’s recent decision weakening the Voting Rights Act, focusing on the historic site linked to Black disenfranchisement.
- The rally, led by a coalition of civil rights organizations, highlighted concerns that the ruling would enable southern states to redraw districts and dilute Black political power, reversing decades of progress.
- Several southern states, including Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Georgia, have already moved to redraw congressional maps to reduce Black representation following the court decision.
- Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves initially called a special session for redistricting but later postponed it, though he anticipates new maps will be drawn before the 2027 elections.
- Speakers at the rally, including activists and politicians from multiple states, emphasized a commitment to fight against the rollback of voting rights, invoking the legacy of civil rights leaders and the ongoing struggle against voter suppression.