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Montgomery — often celebrated as the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement — saw thousands of Americans march and speak out for voting rights this weekend. From 1965 through today, the fight for true equality and representation continues.

A Louisiana resident who identified himself as Marshawn delivered a fiery, emotional speech to lawmakers during a state Senate hearing over redistricting Monday, accusing Republicans of trying to “cheat” Black voters out of political power.

“The MAGA party is the last breath of the Confederacy,” he told lawmakers. “If y’all could give us less than zero seats, you would do it.”

Marshawn’s testimony came as Louisiana Republicans advance a new congressional map after the Supreme Court weakened key protections in the Voting Rights Act.

“There will be no more of your party,” he said. “The midterms gonna come, y’all gonna get wiped out,” he said.

After last month’s Supreme Court ruling weakening the Voting Rights Act, organizers and civil rights leaders across the South are warning that Black political power could be reshaped for generations.

@mslatoshabrown, co-founder of @blackvotersmtr and @southernblackgirls, reflects on what this moment means and what Black people need to do now.

“The protections our grandparents bled for can be revoked,” she said. “We are not in the business of preserving their version of America. We are in the business of building ours.”

Read more at the link in our bio 🔗

What we are losing right now is not abstract.

When Black districts are weakened, Black voters lose the power to elect people who have to answer to us. That means fewer Black representatives in Congress. Fewer members who come from our communities.

Fewer deciding votes for civil rights, voting rights, reproductive freedom, environmental protection, LGBTQ rights, worker protections, and the basic rules that keep corporations and politicians from doing whatever they want to us.

Black political power has been one of the engines of progress in this country. Not because people are nice. Because votes create leverage. Seats create leverage. Deciding votes create leverage.

When they crack and pack our communities into districts where our votes matter less, politicians no longer have to come to us. They no longer have to bargain with us. They no longer have to fear consequences from us.

And corporations know this too. They know weaker Black voting power means fewer elected officials willing or able to regulate them, tax them, investigate them, protect workers, protect consumers, or hold them accountable when they exploit our communities.

So yes, it was powerful to be in Montgomery for #AllRoadsLeadToTheSouth with so many people ready to fight. Thank you to @mslatoshabrown, @cliffalbright, @janainelson, @coalitionbuilder and everyone who made the day possible.

But the road ahead requires us to take that same energy to the corporate enablers — the companies that want Black dollars by day while funding, protecting, or staying silent about the people stripping Black communities of power by night.

We need consequences. We need strategy.

We need to make it impossible for anyone who claims to care about democracy, civil rights, reproductive freedom, LGBTQ rights, climate, workers, or justice to treat Black voting power like someone else’s problem.

Because without Black voters having the power to elect people, every one of those fights gets harder to win.

Presence matters. Power changes the rules.

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#frompresencetopower #allroadsleadsouth #explore #reels

More than 20 members of Congress came to the #AllRoadsLeadSouth protests on May 16th. From Ohio, New Jersey, Oregon… and this is why… #votingrights #montgomeryalabama #allroadsleadtothesouth

Why I bought @the.root? For a moment like now!

I didn’t even know we had Black people in Rhode Island. 🤣 But @repgabeamo did a wonderful job of explaining why representation matters everywhere and why our choices today matter for the future.

While America commemorates the anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, one bitter man named Clarence Thomas has spent his entire career trying to destroy it.

Listen to @tequilamjohnson of @theequityalliance. We shall overcome. #AllRoadsSouth #FreedomSummer2026

All roads lead south with THEE Angela Rye! She highlights @vinceevans 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 and what comes next! #allroadsleadtothesouth #montgomeryalabama #votingrights

Had the privilege to sit and talk to these beautiful black women that came from Florida to the All Roads Lead to the South march in Montgomery yesterday.

This response to my question of what gives them hope was was EVERYTHING🔥

And let me just say…THANK YOU BLACK WOMEN, for always putting your fire into the fight. I am because you are and you have proven time and time again, not only your resilience, but your razor sharp acumen!👏🏾💙🇺🇸

#freedomsummer2026 #allroadssouth #montgomery #blackexcellence #politics

This is an inflection point.