In the 46th edition of the State of Black America Under Siege: the Plot to Destroy Democracy, we are again raising the alarm on the outlook of Black and Brown people as political forces have launched an all-out assault on voting rights.
Never has the fragility of our Democracy been more exposed than it is today. Fueled by "The Big Lie," that there was mass voter fraud in the 2020 election, state legislatures are restricting voting access in districts with large populations of African Americans and other people of color. Some states are taken measures even further by actively targeting election officials and election oversight roles held by people of color.
State legislatures are redrawing voting districts, enacting strict voter ID laws, and ending all forms of early voting to disenfranchise voters and reduce the number of Congressional seats held by people of color.
Our research partners, the Brennan Center for Justice, paints a clear picture of states that have introduced bills and signed laws that provide partisan power to control the outcome of our elections through a series of maps. The visuals also track states that have introduced new Congressional maps that disproportionately impact Black and Brown communities.
This year's report includes essays from people fighting to protect our right to vote in the halls of Congress, courts around the nation, and grassroots leaders in our backyards. Each piece provides insight on how to restore honor to the U.S., a path to progress beyond the filibuster, the imminent danger those face who stand up to hatred and violence in their political party, and healing and protecting our nation one year after the deadly insurrection on January 6th, 2021.
Leaders will guide us on the power of community when protecting the Black vote. The White House gives us insight into how they plan to ensure voting remains a civil right for every American, regardless of race, color, gender, or creed.
There may never be another opportunity to keep America a Democratic institution for the people by the people, to a society controlled by a few, or worse.
