Janai Nelson

#OTD in 1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified. White women gained the constitutional right to vote, but women of color wouldn’t be able to exercise the same right until the passage of the VRA in 1965.

If you live in DC or the DMV area, please attend this virtual training on Tuesday, August 19 @ 6PM and pass on the knowledge.

States do not have to comply w/ Trump‘s request to send the National Guard to occupy & terrorize D.C. Call governors in the following states and demand they join @GovPhilScott in refusing to misuse NG resources against fellow U.S. residents in D.C.: AL, LA, MS, OH, SC, TN & WV.

BREAKING: D.C. sues Trump administration, Bondi over federal takeover of D.C. police www.msn.com/en-us/news/u...

“Today’s victory is a testament to the strength and resilience of Black communities across Louisiana who have fought for years to be fairly recognized, represented, and heard,” Sara Rohani, assistant counsel at the Legal Defense Fund.

Fifth Circuit Sides with Black Louisianians, Strikes Down Racially Discriminatory State Map CONTACT: Ella Wiley, media@aclu.org, 925-819-0555 Troi Barnes, tbarnes@naacpldf.org, 929-736-1528 NEW ORLEANS — In a victory for Black voters and democracy in Louisiana, the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court o...

ANOTHER WIN: 5th Circuit Sides with Black Louisianians, Strikes Down Racially Discriminatory State Map

www.naacpldf.org/press-releas...

Texas redistricting threatens equal representation - Dallas Examiner Texas congressional redistricting threatens fair representation for Black and Brown voters. The process is rushed and lacks transparency.

Texas can do bad by itself: No redistricting help from Washington needed dallasexaminer.com/texas-redist...

If it were truly about rounding up criminals, the National Guard would have emptied the White House. This is about terror and domination. People in DC and across the nation should stand unified in protest of the #DCtakeover. #IstandwithDC #DCstatehood

Letter to the Smithsonian: Internal Review of Smithsonian Exhibitions and Materials The Honorable Lonnie G. Bunch III Secretary, Smithsonian Institution 1000 Jefferson Dr SW Washington, DC 20560 Subject: Internal Review of Smithsonian

Freedom of thought, freedom to learn, freedom of expression, freedom of movement are all under attack in DC b/x of an autocratic coup disguised as govt. DC is an occupied territory and Trump is now turning our national museums into halls of propaganda.
www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-st...

Trump’s Attack on Black Political Power: The Manufactured Emergency in D.C.

who democratically and lawfully elected a mayor and city council representatives to make decisions regarding safety for their District.” Todd Cox, LDF Associate Director-Counsel

“The show of force through the deployment of National Guard units and the takeover of D.C. Metro Police is an affront to safety that will instead embolden law enforcement officers to operate with unchecked violence. It goes against the will of the residents of D.C. …

LDF Condemns Deployment of National Guard and Federal Takeover of D.C. Metro Police Department Today, President Trump announced the deployment of the D.C. National Guard and that he would work with state governors to deploy other National Guard units to Washington, D.C. The President issued an ...

LDF Condemns Deployment of National Guard and Federal Takeover of D.C. Metro Police Department -

www.naacpldf.org/press-releas...

This win was a long time coming and hard-fought. The judge has also retained jurisdiction if there are future violations. Most important, the second Black opportunity district the state of Alabama is in place at least until 2030. Hats off to the amazing Milligan team & clients!

Federal court says Alabama must use map that creates 2nd Black majority district The state is expected to appeal the decision, which comes as both parties move to draw new districts for partisan advantage.

WE WON AGAIN: Federal court says Alabama must use map that creates 2nd Black majority district politi.co/4mCXbCR via @politico

Federal judge in Maryland issues new block on Trump’s birthright citizenship order A federal judge in Maryland has issued a fresh nationwide injunction on President Trump’s birthright citizenship order.

The Trump admin received its 4th standing rebuke of its unlawful attempt to end birthright citizenship from a federal court. The judicial resources to stop this administration’s blatant lawlessness are astounding.

Courts must keep holding the line.

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

New Texas redistricting map revives old playbook to suppress Black voters The fight for Black Texas voters in 1940 reminds us that real change comes from the people. It doesn’t always come quickly or easily, but it always comes from those who are unwilling to be...

LDF has been fighting for Black voters in Texas since 1940 and Texas lawmakers continue to intentionally target Black voters. Read my latest on Texas’s discriminatory redistricting to do Trump’s bidding.
www.statesman.com/opinion/colu...

The Voting Rights Act is facing the biggest threats in its 60 years Decades after its passage, the revolutionary law continues to face attempts to pervert its purpose

“Democracy is at stake. We wouldn’t be under such a threat if we weren’t doing so well in making sure our communities were engaged…This is a cyclical part of history, that when we see some success in advancing rights, there’s always backlash.”
Todd Cox, LDF www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

60 Years Later, The Voting Rights Act Faces New Threats — And Bold New Defenders | Essence Six decades later, as key protections erode and courts revisit core provisions, civil rights groups, legal experts and organizers are fighting to protect this essential pillar of democracy.

Black women speak out about the power of the Voting Rights Act on its 60th Anniversary and the critical need to protect this all-important statute. www.essence.com/news/voting-...

The nation's landmark voting rights law just turned 60. It may not survive Trump. “The long-term game is to repeal the Voting Rights Act.”

Extremists are trying to take away the last tool the Supreme Court has not fully dissolved to stop the gross manipulation of elections: Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. It is the dividing line b/w democracy and our Jim Crow past—and we will defend it. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Why PragerU Doesn’t Belong in the White House When propaganda gets a presidential platform, historical truth pays the price.

The rewriting of American history is happening at warp speed. Beware of indoctrination by ignorance, distortions & mistruths. We must counter falsehoods with fact & support accurate education.

Why PragerU Doesn’t Belong in the White House, by @JemarTisby open.substack.com/pub/jemartis...

Tomorrow we honor when, in 1965, the Voting Rights Act became law – a result of tireless organizing, marching, and resistance. This anniversary is a call to action: our vote is worth fighting for and that fight will continue until our rights are secured.

Texas Dems to flee state amid national redistricting battle They will head to Illinois, where Gov. JB Pritzker has expressed sympathy for their plight.

BREAKING; Texas Dems to flee state amid national redistricting battle politi.co/4ol21pI via @politico

Safe Roads for All - The Thurgood Marshall Institute at LDF The Thurgood Marshall Institute proposes a vision for traffic safety that does not rely on armed police. A new approach to traffic safety must prioritize public health and remove police from traffic e...

Read the full report by LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute about the danger and rampant racial discrimination in traffic stops here and begin advocating for alternatives to law-enforcement in your community: tminstituteldf.org/safe-roads-

Brutal arrest of Black student in Florida shows benefits of recording police from new vantage point A video showing the violent arrest of a Black college student in Florida has sparked calls for drivers to use cameras that show a view from inside their car.

We must rid police from traffic stops. As noted in Safe Roads for All “even when police traffic stops do not escalate into violence, multiple studies have documented how these stops cause stress & trauma with potentially negative effects for community health & well-being.”
apnews.com/article/will...

“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read.” James Baldwin, 1924-1987

Book bans and the war on truth enable white grievance by obscuring fact, erasing context & denying accurate American history. Facts are freedom.

ICE Racial Profiling Ban in LA Backed by Appeals Court For Now A US appeals court is backing a judge’s order temporarily barring immigration agents in the Los Angeles area from using racial profiling to detain and question individuals, dealing another blow to the Trump administration’s crackdown on migrants.

A US appeals court is backing a judge’s order temporarily barring immigration agents in the Los Angeles area from using racial profiling to detain and question individuals.

LDF will gladly answer the question of the lawfulness of Louisiana’s congressional maps in our briefs and before the justices to defend the Constitution, its core principles of equal protection and anti-discrimination in voting, and animating statutes. 4/4

Decades of Supreme Court precedent makes clear that election districts created to remedy the type of racial discrimination against Black voters that is at the heart of the Louisiana v. Callais case rather than violate the 14th & 15th Amendments enforce and animate them. 3/4

SCOTUS asks: “Whether the State’s intentional creation of a second majority-minority congressional district violates the 14th or 15th Amendments to the U. S. Constitution.” 2/4