Thousands gathered Saturday in Montgomery, a historic centre of the Civil Rights Movement, to oppose efforts by conservative states to redraw congressional districts seen as key to Black political representation.
The rally followed a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakened the Voting Rights Act, prompting southern states to revise electoral maps. Speakers said the struggle rooted in Montgomery - site of the Bus Boycott and Selma march - continues today.
Bernice King, speaking near where her father Martin Luther King Jr. addressed marchers in 1965, called the ruling a “moral disgrace” undermining sacrifices made for equal rights.
Civil rights leaders, lawmakers and clergy addressed the “All Roads Lead to the South” rally outside the Alabama Capitol. Cory Booker termed Montgomery “sacred soil,” while Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez urged voters to respond at the ballot box.
The court decision, linked to a Louisiana case, further weakened protections already limited since 2013, enabling stricter voting laws. Affected districts include Alabama’s 2nd, now under legal dispute. Veteran activists warned that hard-won civil rights gains are being eroded, vowing continued resistance.