Thousands Gather in Alabama to Renew the Struggle for Voting Rights

Montgomery and Selma were pivotal in the mass Civil Rights Movement between 1955 and 1965 where boycotts and mass demonstrations were utilized to break down legalized segregation and disenfranchisement

By Abayomi Azikiwe, Editor, Pan-African News Wire

Wednesday May 20, 2026

Political Review

After the devastating impact of the United States Supreme Court Louisiana v. Callais case which eviscerated the Voting Rights Act of 1965, several southern states immediately began to redistrict their Congressional maps in order to render the African American vote meaningless.

Tennessee was the first to redraw the 9th district with the sole intention of nullifying the political impact of African American voters principally in Memphis, a municipality with more than a 63% Black population.

Over the weekend of May 16-17, thousands of people gathered in Montgomery and Selma to rally in opposition to the administration of President Donald Trump, who during his first term of office, had placed two additional right-wing members on the Supreme Court providing a 6-3 majority. This court has handed down several decisions which have negatively impacted the gains made by African Americans and women over the last 72 years.

Memphis was the location where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, amid a sanitation strike of African American workers which gained the support of the broader community both locally and nationally. The strike sought collective bargaining rights through the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

The trajectory from the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-56 to the Selma to Montgomery March of 1965 represented the progress of the mass Civil Rights Movement. Several factors were important in the emergence of the struggles to end segregation and the denial of voting rights which included the international atmosphere characterized by the anti-colonial movements in Africa and Asia as well as the rise of socialism in various geo-political regions globally.

Today the current MAGA Republican administration has embarked upon a war drive against the people of West Asia, Africa and Latin America aimed at the seizure of natural resources and the political control of these regions. Assistance to underdeveloped states have been largely abandoned while the tariffs unilaterally imposed by Trump have been declared by the same Supreme Court as being unconstitutional. 

At the same time the European allies of Washington are being pressured by the administration to spend more of their national budgets on defense negatively impacting the economic situation in other capitalist states. Despite the efforts to maintain good relations with the U.S., the other NATO countries refused to become directly involved in the unprovoked war against the Islamic Republic of Iran. 

Trump has proposed a $1.5 Trillion defense budget as the prices for consumer goods and energy are continuing to rise sharply. African Americans and other oppressed groups in the U.S. are disproportionately affected by the inflationary spiral in which the administration has dismissed claiming that it is more important to undermine the Iranian government and the entire axis of resistance in West Asia.

It is quite obvious that the MAGA rulers are thoroughly committed to a reconfiguration of racial capitalism and imperialism. The democratic rights of people living in the U.S. are expendable as Trump and his backers within the ruling class seek to salvage a declining system.

The Need for Renewed Mobilization Against Racism and National Oppression

Recent events in Montgomery and Selma point the way towards the need to rebuild a movement that addresses the necessity of abolishing racism. The statements made by the dominant groupings within the Supreme Court indicate that they are committed to the weakening of representation of African Americans within the U.S. Congress.

Some 61 years after the signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, African Americans must address the concerted moves to reverse the gains made over the last six decades. This can only be done through the recruitment of new forces into the mass democratic movement and the building of organizations which work full time on the issues which benefit the masses of people.

According to an article published by the Associated Press on the mass demonstrations in Alabama on May 16:

“The recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling involving Louisiana hollowed out the voting rights law that was already weakened by a separate decision in 2013 and then narrowed further over the years. That helped clear the way for stricter voter ID laws, registration restrictions, and limits on early voting and polling place changes, including in states that once needed federal preclearance before they could change voting laws because of their historical discrimination against Black voters.” (https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-act-rally-alabama-scotus-a71782f45369654ab86e0e66e633fcf4)

These new restrictions on voting rights are not necessarily limited to the southern U.S. In northern states such as Michigan, there were petitions circulated during early 2026 which sought to place on the ballot purported mandatory identification to vote.

This is being done in light of the claims of voter fraud on the part of Democratic constituencies by the MAGA interests. With the deployment of thousands of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol agents in various cities regarded as democratic-leaning areas such as Chicago, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Memphis, etc., there could very well be a utilization of these government forces along with MAGA operatives to physically suppress voters. 

In the same above-mentioned report, it goes on to say that:

“Montgomery is home to one of the congressional districts that is being altered in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling. A federal court in 2023 redrew Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District after ruling that the state intentionally diluted the voting power of Black residents, who make up about 27% of its population. The court said there should be a district where Black people are a majority or near-majority and have an opportunity to elect their candidate of choice. But the Supreme Court cleared the way for a different map that could let the GOP reclaim the seat. While the matter remains under litigation, the state plans special primaries Aug. 11 under the new map. U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, who won election in the district in 2024, said the dispute is not about him but rather people’s opportunity to have representation.”

The situation in many southern states is already deplorable for African Americans. In Alabama rural hospitals are closing while 50,000 people have been eliminated from eligibility to receive Supplemental Nutrition Agricultural Program (SNAP) benefits, many of whom are children, disable persons and senior citizens.  

In the conservative state of South Carolina, efforts are underway by the state legislature to redraw the electoral maps which would push back the primary elections for the U.S. Congress until August. The costs of holding a special election would be borne by the counties throughout the state estimated to be in excess of $2 million. 

The state already has a high poverty rate for African Americans and Latin Americans. African Americans have a poverty rate of 27% and Latin Americans are at 29%. Among African American children, 42% are living below the federally recognized poverty line. 

Despite the rise in investment from capitalist corporations in South Carolina, the profits and jobs from various enterprises have in fact created even greater inequality between whites and the oppressed communities. Taking voting rights and representation from African Americans will only exacerbate the levels of inequality and income.

Tennessee was the first southern state where the Republican-dominated state assembly voted soon after the Louisiana v. Callais decision was handed down to disenfranchise Black people. The African American majority 9th Congressional district was targeted which would further worsen the conditions in the city of Memphis. 

Immediate Action is Required on a National Level

The only mechanism to reverse the current situation requires the mass mobilization and organization of the African American people and their allies. A broad militant united front should be formed with a commitment to engage in demonstrations, civil disobedience, boycotts and general strikes.

During its 2025 national convention, the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) called for a March on Washington as a day of solidarity. Although this call was put forward as a resolution, there does not appear to be any action being taken on this proposal.

Over the last year millions have come out peacefully in opposition to the dictatorial program of the Trump administration and the MAGA-dominated Congress. However, if the CBTU or any progressive alliance of African Americans and Latin Americans took on this idea, it would have a profound impact on the consciousness and political will of those most negatively impacted in the present situation. 

If these proposals are not acted upon soon, the spontaneous response of African Americans and others could take on a rebellious character which may not be effectively contained by law-enforcement agencies, the National Guard and military forces. Even if the mass demonstrations, boycotts and general strikes do occur within the next few months, it still may not preclude the commencement of a violent struggle pushing the U.S. into an even deeper security and socioeconomic crisis.