By Christopher Young,
Contributing Writer,
Wednesday, May 20, 2026, was a truly historic day in Jackson where the Mississippi State NAACP Conference called a “Day of Action for Voting Rights” – and had so many partners. The call came against the backdrop of the April 29, 2026, Supreme Court ruling in Louisiana v. Callais – not eliminating the Voting Rights Act of 1965, but mostly gutting it. An estimated 6,000 rallied, marching from the Old Capitol to the Jackson Convention Center on a carefully planned route.
After substantial prayer at the Old Capitol, police blocked streets for marchers to make the trek up State Street, left at Mississippi Street, left on President Street with the Mississippi Capitol in view, down on past the Governor’s Mansion, all the way to Pascagoula Street, and down to the Convention Center. With the Mississippi Governor promising to “end Bennie Thompson’s reign of terror” and promising redistricting at every level, which will surely impact African American voters and their representation – the Day of Action truly rose to the challenges ahead.
Hours later, at the historic Mt. Helm Missionary Baptist Church, Pastor C.J. Rhodes moderated a strategy session, cementing another layer of effort to the eventful day. The church was filled to capacity with young people, foot soldiers, organizers, elected officials – Senators Hillman Terome Frazier and Sollie B. Norwood, Representative Zakiya Summers, and more. Moss Point, Mississippi, native and multiple best-selling author and Princeton University professor, Eddie Glaude, was on hand.
After prayer, when Rev. Rhodes asked Dr. Orey to summarize the path since 1865, the church got schooled. Dr. Orey is the co-author of “Mississippi: Conflict and Change” (New Edition) – a historical educational text that ignited a First Amendment Lawsuit against the State of Mississippi.
Orey began instead in 1619 and highlighted the pertinent history up to the present day, laying bare that white supremacy never left, and that voting rights and political representation for African Americans has always been challenged by and through laws, rules, and stereotypes.
He reminded us that it was Ronald Reagan who brought a young attorney to the justice department, intent on upending the Voting Rights Act. His name is John Roberts, now the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, who in 2013, authored the decision that removed preclearance from the Voting Rights Act …; in Mississippi there is “no difference between race and party.…”
Attorney Carroll Rhodes, the pastor’s father, is a career civil rights attorney who participated in critical decisions and began his remarks with the Mississippi Constitution of 1890. Atty. Rhodes explained, “It was never ratified, and the folks that were doing it said they were doing it specifically to get rid of the Black vote…; they went out of their way to not mention race for fear that the US Supreme Court will say we were discriminatory…; they examined characteristics of Black people and then put those up as barriers to the right to vote.
“The Mississippi Historical Society details the purpose of all this…; since 1890 up to 1965 and since then their purpose has been to make sure that Black people didn’t have the right to vote…”
Waikinya Clanton spoke about the Callias decision becoming a unifying message around voting rights. She stressed how we can no longer talk about this issue from 30,000 feet, “… we must help voters connect the dots.” She clearly articulated how the plan is to dilute the African American vote, and that we must fight back. She spoke about early morning strategy sessions being held around how we are going to fight.
“They want to draw us out – we are drawing ourselves back in ….; they want us to think that our power is going to be taken away from us just by playing with our vote and we’re not gonna let them do that. We are not going to play with these people. Sixty-five hundred people gathered today in Jackson for voting rights. We are going to have field hearings and we will have alternatives. We are building a movement. This is a multi-faceted, multi-cultural, multi-generational fight. You have to wake up every morning with it in you…,” Clanton said.
National NAACP President Derrick Johnson was called up to share strategy and a charge going forward. “The energy in the room today was beautiful, and we should use it as a catalyst as we march toward November. The Supreme Court decision gave them license to suppress votes and we must mobilize. How do you overcome voter suppression? You overwhelm the polling places,” Johnson explained.
“Today we had representation from over 52 of the 82 counties across the state. We have a target to increase voter turnout by 75,000. During the Civil Rights Movement, it wasn’t about the big marches, it was about targeted strategic approaches. Freedom Summer made the pathway to the Voting Rights Act…; let’s figure out the lanes and let’s execute. That’s what the next steps are, execution…,” said President Johnson, underscoring that the forces trying to undermine Black voters have been successful thus far because they have been united.
The strategy session rounded out with a solid wall of fourteen attendees making their way to the microphone to contribute to the discussion, some offering resources, others reminded of keeping your voter record up-to-date, especially if you move. Zelfa Montgomery Watkins from Holmes County shared about the three dollars in her pocket: “If you don’t want my vote, then you’re not getting my money.”
Numerous speakers were young and highly engaged. Nineteen-year-old Jayla Chatmon voiced her concern about engaging the 18-39 age group and asked how they are being informed in order to increase civic engagement.
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