U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell joined fellow members of the Congressional Black Caucus on the House floor Thursday night to condemn what lawmakers described as the continued dismantling of the Voting Rights Act following the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Louisiana v. Callais.
During a Special Order Hour, Sewell delivered an emotional defense of federal voting protections, warning that recent court rulings threaten decades of civil rights progress and fair political representation for Black communities across the South.
“For me, this fight is personal,” Sewell said. “I grew up in Selma in the shadow of the Civil Rights Movement.”
The Alabama Democrat, whose district includes Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Marion and much of the Black Belt, invoked the legacy of Bloody Sunday, the Birmingham church bombings and the violent resistance Black Americans faced while fighting for voting rights during the Civil Rights Movement.
“Our communities carry the scars of Bloody Sunday, the Birmingham church bombings, fire hoses, police dogs, and violent resistance to the simple idea that Black Americans deserve the full promise of citizenship,” Sewell said.
Sewell accused conservatives and “extremists” of attempting to weaken the political power of Black voters through court decisions and restrictive election laws.
“People in my district bled for the right to vote. Some died for it,” she said. “And now, six decades later, extremists are trying to drag this country backward.”
The congresswoman linked the Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais to the broader erosion of voting rights protections that began with the Supreme Court’s 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder, which struck down key portions of the Voting Rights Act.
“In 2013, the Supreme Court’s disastrous decision in Shelby v. Holder gutted the heart of the Voting Rights Act,” Sewell said. She argued that states subsequently enacted restrictive voting laws, closed polling locations and redrew congressional districts in ways that diluted Black voting power.
Sewell also renewed calls for passage of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, legislation she introduced to restore and modernize federal voting protections.
Closing her remarks, Sewell urged supporters to continue organizing and voting, while promoting the upcoming “All Roads Lead to the South” rally at the Alabama State Capitol.
“If your vote didn’t matter, they wouldn’t be working so hard to take it away,” Sewell said. “We are not going back.”
