Nearly a century after the 15th Amendment granted Black Americans the right to vote, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 finally made good on that promise. The law was a resounding success, opening the democratic process to Americans of all races and ethnicities. Then in 2013, the Supreme Court brought this progress to a screeching halt with its decision in Shelby County v. Holder.
In a new book, An American Problem: How the Country Built — and the Supreme Court Broke — the Voting Rights Act, Barnard College Professor Michael G. Miller and Brennan Center Senior Research Fellow Kevin T. Morris offer a sweeping history of the Voting Rights Act and the attacks it has suffered. Miller and Morris trace the devastating effect of Shelby County, using advanced research techniques to prove that the decision unleashed racially discriminatory voting policies. And the story does not end there: The Supreme Court continues to undermine what remains of the transformative civil rights law.
Join us on Tuesday, October 6, at 6 p.m. at the Greene Space for an exclusive live podcast recording of The Briefing with Michael Waldman. Waldman and Morris will discuss how the loss of federal protections has once again exposed voting rights to what President Lyndon B. Johnson called "an American problem" of racial injustice.
Books will be available for purchase. The program will be followed by a book signing and reception.
Brennan Center speakers: