Black women denounce U.S. Supreme Court’s attack on voting rights

Statement from In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda

WASHINGTON — Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a lower court’s ruling that an Alabama congressional map disadvantages Black voters. Marcela Howell, president and CEO of In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda, issued the following statement in response:

“We denounce this most recent attack on Black voters by the U.S. Supreme Court. Since Black men first won the right to vote, gerrymandering has been used to deprive Black people of our voting rights and equitable representation. Alabama’s racist congressional map is in keeping with that state’s long tradition of undercutting the voting rights of its Black citizens. In siding with Alabama, this U.S. Supreme Court has stripped justice of its blindfold and replaced it with a hood.

“We refuse to be cowed by Alabama legislators, the conservative majority on the high court or any other enemies of civil rights. The U.S. Senate’s ongoing sacrifice of civil rights to protect its arcane rules is a dereliction of duty and an affront to the Constitution. We call on the Senate to take immediate action to protect voting rights and our democracy. It is long past time for senators to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act — even if it requires a rule change to do so.

“Voters across the country demand nothing less. All who value the Constitution must join us in our campaign for voting rights by contacting their senators to demand action now.”

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In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda is a national reproductive justice organization focused on lifting the voices of Black women at the national and regional levels in our ongoing policy fight to secure reproductive justice for all women and girls. Our eight strategic partners include Black Women for Wellness, Black Women’s Health Imperative, New Voices for Reproductive Justice, SisterLove, Inc. SisterReach, SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW, The Afiya Center and Women With A Vision.