Voting rights anniversary spotlights America’s enduring anti-Black contempt

Civil rights figures held a requiem for the Voting Rights Act on its 61st anniversary, lamenting legislative setbacks and the neutering of federal protections. The hollowing out of the VRA is attributed to Supreme Court rulings that ended federal preclearance, which limited state governments from changing voting procedures. As a result, critics argue the nation is experiencing a modern-day political Jim Crow.