Civil rights groups launch 'Summer of Action' marches across the South over voting rights and redistricting

A coordinated wave of voting rights demonstrations is sweeping across the U.S. South this summer, as civil rights groups launch a 'Summer of Action' campaign featuring marches, teach-ins, and grassroots mobilization efforts beginning this weekend.

The campaign responds to escalating battles over congressional redistricting, voting access, and political representation—issues accelerating as states redraw political power ahead of the November midterms and the 2028 general election. Organizers warn that recent Supreme Court decisions have weakened protections against racial discrimination in redistricting, emboldening Republican-led efforts to reshape electoral maps in key Southern states.

Southern states target Black-leaning districts

Republican legislatures in states like Tennessee and Alabama have moved to redraw Democratic-leaning districts, particularly those anchored by Black voters in urban areas, ahead of the 2026 redistricting cycle. In Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp has called a special session to redraw the state’s maps for 2028, while Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves announced plans to redistrict ahead of 2028 to dilute the influence of longtime Rep. Bennie Thompson (D).

Selma marches tie to civil rights legacy

Organizers in Selma, Alabama, are planning marches tied to the legacy of Bloody Sunday and the Edmund Pettus Bridge, framing the demonstrations as a continuation of the civil rights movement.

"This is an altar call."

Texas activists mobilize over representation and costs

In Texas, activists report that rising living costs and concerns over political representation are energizing younger Black voters to participate in the demonstrations. National organizing networks and Day of Action coalitions are coordinating marches, teach-ins, and grassroots efforts across multiple states.

King family and National Urban League sound alarms

Arndrea Waters King, wife of Martin Luther King III, told Axios that returning to Selma serves as a moment for people to "come together and rededicate" themselves amid rapidly changing voting battles.

"The reality is, it simply is our turn in that long march toward freedom."

"How do you fight a system that is being manipulated not to work?"

Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, warned that the recent Supreme Court ruling and redistricting fights mark

"the beginning of a summer of action."

"This is going to require sustained pressure and agitation. There will be multiple activations taking place in multiple places this summer."

"The impact will be felt when 10 to 15 Black members of Congress lose their seats."

Lisa Graves, co-founder of Court Accountability, said the ruling acted as

"a gigantic green light"

The other side: Trump’s outreach to Black voters

The marches coincide with Donald Trump’s efforts to gain ground with Black voters, despite posting racist videos, using racist rhetoric, and advancing policies critics say erase slavery history and weaken voting rights. An Axios review of recent data shows cracks in the long-standing strong Black support for Democrats, dating back to John F. Kennedy’s 1960 presidential run and Barack Obama’s 2008 election.

Why the South is ground zero for voting battles

The South has become both the nation’s population-growth center and one of its most contested political battlegrounds, making fights over representation and voting power increasingly consequential. Organizers argue that the combination of demographic shifts, redistricting battles, and weakened voting protections creates an urgent need for sustained activism.