EP73 - Is the Sleeping Giant of Black Voters About to Wake Up?

About this episode

The episode discusses the potential awakening of Black voters in response to recent attacks on voting rights.

EP73 - Black Voters: Is the Trumpian Attack on Voting Rights About to Wake a Sleeping Giant? Five members of the Congressional Black Caucus discuss a rising level of energy and interest they’re witnessing in their districts after the U.S. Supreme Court severely damaged the 1965 Voting Rights Act on April 29, 2026. All five CBC members will have altered congressional districts as a result of Republicans quickly moving to rig the maps so more Republicans can be elected and re-elected in November 2026. The five CBC members, Reps. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Terri Sewell (D-AL), Troy Carter (D-LA), Shomari Figures (D-AL) and Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) all mention an increased level of interest and engagement as news of their congressional districts being changed by Republicans to make it more difficult to win makes headlines. On Saturday, May 16, 2026, thousands are expected to gather at a mass rally in Montgomery, Alabama for a voting rights mobilization. That mobilization is set to be the launch of Freedom Summer 2.0 as Republicans around the country attempting to change the rules and redistrict congressional seats before the 2026 midterm elections. Thank you for listening and thanks to…

People in this episode

Guests: Bennie Thompson, Terri Sewell, Troy Carter, Shomari Figures, Emanuel Cleaver

Topics covered

• Black voters
• Voting rights
• Redistricting
• Congressional Black Caucus
• Political mobilization

Keywords

• Black voters
• Voting rights
• Congressional Black Caucus
• Redistricting
• Political engagement
• Freedom Summer 2.0
• Mobilization
• Republicans
• Voting rights Act
• Elections

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Congressional Black Caucus

Books & works: Voting Rights Act

Places: Montgomery, Alabama

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