Black Advocates Warn Jim Crow ‘Never Ended’ as Voting Rights Face New Attacks
Community leaders warn that Jim Crow-era voter suppression tactics continue in modern forms following Supreme Court ruling that weakened Voting Rights Act.
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA — Black community leaders and lawmakers gathered at the North Carolina Legislative Building on Tuesday to warn that voting rights remain under siege across the nation, arguing that Jim Crow-era tactics persist in modern forms despite decades of civil rights progress.
“Many have made the assumption that we are now far removed from the grip of Jim Crow,” said Javita Lee Miller, policy director for Advance North Carolina. “However, I would like to humbly submit to you today that the era never ended for our communities. It’s just being spearheaded by the children and the grandchildren.”
Historical Parallels Draw Concern
Lee Miller drew connections between historical voter suppression tactics and current legislative efforts. She pointed to Tennessee, which in 1870 led the charge in implementing poll taxes that disenfranchised Black voters for decades. That same state earlier this month removed all House Democrats from their committee assignments for protesting a racial gerrymander.
Federal lawmakers are now pushing for the SAVE America Act, which would require voters to provide proof of citizenship and photo identification, according to the advocates.
North Carolina’s History of Voting Rights Battles
Sen. Val Applewhite (D-Cumberland) spoke from personal experience, noting her involvement in a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court case, North Carolina v. Covington. In that case, judges found that Republican state lawmakers had violated the federal Voting Rights Act by suppressing Black voters through gerrymandering.
“We can all agree that North Carolina has been ground zero for voter suppression tactics for years,” Applewhite said.
The state’s ongoing struggles with voting rights took on new urgency following a Supreme Court ruling in April that significantly weakened the Voting Rights Act. The decision limited the landmark civil rights law to only prohibit maps drawn with discriminatory intent, making it harder to challenge redistricting plans that disproportionately affect minority communities.
Concerns About Future Elections
The advocates’ warnings come as voting maps shift across the South, with several states implementing new redistricting plans following the weakened federal protections. The timing of Tuesday’s gathering coincided with increased voter activity at the Legislative Building, emphasizing the importance of Black voter turnout in upcoming elections.
The speakers emphasized that while the methods may have evolved, the underlying goal of limiting Black political participation remains unchanged from the Jim Crow era. They called for continued vigilance and advocacy to protect voting access for all North Carolinians.
The event highlighted ongoing tensions over voting rights in a state that has been at the center of numerous legal battles over redistricting and election laws in recent years.
