Why Voting Is Becoming Harder for Black Americans in Southern States

Why Voting Is Becoming Harder for Black Americans in Southern States

Rod Sias remembers how deeply hurt he was when Louisiana lost its second majority-Black congressional district in the 1990s. Because of a federal court ruling, the 56-year-old Opelousas resident said, Black Louisianans were denied an opportunity to elect another U.S. representative who might advocate for them in Congress. Cleo Fields, the representative who had been redistricted out of office, had directed federal dollars to improving the mostly…