'We shall overcome (again)': In powerful statehouse protests, Black voters and leaders decry GOP's Southern gerrymanders

https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/we-shall-overcome-again-in-powerful-statehouse-protests-black-voters-and-leaders-decry-gops-southern-gerrymanders/

The Supreme Court’s decision to gut the Voting Rights Act (VRA) last week has spurred exactly what the landmark civil rights legislation was protecting against: A sweep of brutal GOP gerrymanders rushed through state legislatures across the South to eliminate minority political representation in the 2026 elections and beyond — even in states whose elections are already underway.

As lawmakers have rammed the unfair redraws through committees and floor votes, Black elected leaders and voters in Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana and South Carolina have been trying to show the world how Republicans are rolling back their civil rights on President Donald Trump’s orders.

They have met this historic moment with speeches and protests highlighting the extremism and cruelty of the GOP’s gerrymander plan, grieving this generational setback and also vowing, as one protester’s sign read: “We shall overcome (again).”

Here are some of the most dramatic and powerful examples of how Black Americans — from elected officials to ordinary voters — have responded to the wave of GOP gerrymanders.

Article tells state by state efforts.