Thousands of people descended on Montgomery, Alabama on Saturday for the “All Roads Lead to the South” rally, a major demonstration sparked by the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Louisiana v. Callais decision. That ruling essentially gutted the Voting Rights Act and severely limited protections against voting discrimination.
Organized by a coalition of national and local civic engagement groups, the rally took place outside the Alabama state capitol — in the same plaza where the historic 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches are commemorated. Participants arrived by bus, car, and plane from across the country, joined by both local and national leaders. “They may draw racist maps, but we are the south,” read one prominent rally slogan.
