Thousands of people gathered Saturday in Montgomery, Alabama, the birthplace of the modern Civil Rights Movement, to rally against conservative-led efforts to redraw congressional districts that helped secure Black political representation. The event began in Selma and ended at the state Capitol, where Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "How Long, Not Long" speech in 1965 following the Selma-to-Montgomery Voting Rights March.
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey addressed the crowd, calling Montgomery "sacred soil" in the fight for civil rights. "If we in our generation do not now do our duty, we will lose the gains and the rights and the liberties that our ancestors afforded us," Booker said. Shalela Dowdy, a plaintiff in the Alabama redistricting case, led chants of "we won't go back" and "we fight."
What the Left Is Saying
Civil rights advocates argue that recent court decisions have opened the door to dismantling protections won over generations. Kirk Carrington, 75, who was chased by law enforcement during the 1965 Bloody Sunday confrontation in Selma, said he finds the current rollback efforts "appalling." "It's sad that it's continuing after 60-plus-odd years that we are still fighting for the same thing we fought for back then," Carrington said.
Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures, who won election in Alabama's newly configured 2nd Congressional District in 2024, framed the dispute as broader than his seat. "When Republicans are literally turning back the clock on what representation, what the faces of representation, look like, what the opportunities, legitimate opportunities for representation look like across this country, then I think it starts to resonate with people in a little bit of a different way," Figures said.
Evan Milligan, lead plaintiff in the Alabama redistricting case, acknowledged the difficult legal landscape while urging continued resistance. "We have to accept that this is the new reality, whether we like it or not," Milligan said. "We don't have to accept that this will be the reality for the next 10 years or two years or forever."
What the Right Is Saying
Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, a Republican, defended his party's efforts as correcting court-imposed maps rather than suppressing votes. "People tend to forget what happened. When this thing went to court, the Republican Party had that seat, congressional seat two," Ledbetter said last week. "There's been a push through the courts to try to overtake some of these red state seats, and that's certainly what happened in that one."
Some conservative legal scholars argue that the recent Supreme Court decisions restore states' rights to conduct elections without federal oversight, contending that preclearance requirements were an overreach. They maintain that redistricting decisions should be made through normal political processes rather than court mandates.
What the Numbers Show
A federal court in 2023 initially redrew Alabama's 2nd Congressional District after ruling that the state intentionally diluted Black voting power. Black residents comprise approximately 27% of the district's population, and the court determined there should be a district where Black voters could elect their candidate of choice.
The Supreme Court's recent Louisiana ruling hollowed out voting rights law already weakened by a 2013 decision. These rulings have cleared the way for stricter voter ID laws, registration restrictions, limits on early voting, and polling place changes in states that previously required federal preclearance before altering voting laws due to documented historical discrimination against Black voters.
Alabama plans special primaries on August 11 under a new district map being challenged in ongoing litigation. The state had been operating under court-ordered maps following the 2023 ruling.
The Bottom Line
The rally reflects deep anxiety among civil rights advocates about the cumulative effect of recent Supreme Court decisions on voting access and political representation. While courts continue to hear challenges to redistricting plans, states like Alabama are moving forward with new maps for upcoming elections. What happens in Alabama's 2nd Congressional District may set precedent for similar battles in other states where Black voters had secured greater political representation through court-ordered maps. The outcome of ongoing litigation will determine whether those gains can be preserved or whether Republicans can reclaim seats that courts previously said diluted minority voting power.