Voting Rights ruling sparks new generation of civil rights activists

The recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act has sparked a new generation of advocates fighting to protect voter access.

Immediately following the decision, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock called the ruling a slap in the face.

“Make no mistake, this ruling harkens back to the darkest days of the Jim Crow era when Black Americans were kept out of rooms of power,” he said.

Now, a group of civil rights leaders and activists are organizing around a single mantra: Same fight. New generation.

“We have to respond as quickly as possible,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson told CBS News Atlanta. “The real question,” Johnson told The Associated Press, “is how do we as a country really address the effort to shrink us backwards into a 1950s reality?”

Several groups gathered in Alabama over the weekend for a rally and tribute to the Civil Rights Movement in response to the Supreme Court ruling. The ultimate goal is to protect diverse political representation by winning more elections and influencing policy fights.

Although organizers acknowledged the challenge of engaging voters on issues such as redistricting and gerrymandering, they also said the recent decision has increased engagement.

Johnson said that an organizing call in Mississippi had around 8,000 participants last week, and state Capitols have been filled with citizens advocating for voting rights.