On Friday, March 1 at 3:00 p.m., Black Voters Matter (BVM) will hold a press conference on the Montgomery Alabama State University campus discussing the critical state of voting rights, ahead of a U.S. Senate hearing on what's being called a modern-day voting discrimination. Testimonies will be shared by BVM’s LaTosha Brown and U.S. Senator Laphonza Butler.
BVM will be joined by local and national partners, including the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), to discuss the significance of the fight for freedoms in the state that catalyzed the Voting Rights Act nearly six decades ago.
In a press release, BVM said Alabama remains central to the battle for voting rights, notably when Allen v. Milligan reached the Supreme Court last year, triggering a months-long standoff by GOP lawmakers delaying the creation of fairer maps for Black voters and setting off similar actions across the South.
The organization says new threats to other civil rights have emerged within the state, such as the recent ruling on reproductive rights, which could disproportionately impact Black women.
BVM will continue to drive progress on critical intersecting issues affecting Black voters in Alabama and beyond – and engage community members from all walks of life to join the fight for justice and progress, from young people to faith leaders.
At Friday's rally, an introduction will be given by Rev. Mark Thompson, political, civil rights and human rights activist and host of podcast “Make It Plain."
Other speakers include:
● Black Voters Matter: LaTosha Brown and Cliff Albright
● Transformative Justice Coalition: Barbara Arnwine and Daryl Jones
● The Workers Circle: Ann Toback
● Alabama Forward: Deanna Fowler
● Alabama State Conference of the NAACP: Benard Simelton
● Southern Poverty Law Center: Jerome Dees
● Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law: Damon Hewitt
● NAACP Legal Defense Fund: Jared Evans
● The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights: Leslie Proll