Five Books to Understand the Voting Rights Act

The culmination of extended, focused activism, the Voting Rights Act radically transformed American democracy and was met with an immediate counter-movement by groups that wanted to limit its scope and impact. Here, journalist Ari Berman combines deep research, interviews, and original reporting to present a comprehensive history of the VRA and conservative politicians’ continued attempts to minimize its power and suppress the Black Vote.

This week’s SCOTUS decision in Louisiana v. Callais completes the work the John Roberts-led court began in 2013 with a landmark decision (Shelby County v. Holder) that struck down two provisions of the Voting Rights Act that forced states with histories of racial discrimination to get federal approval before changing their voting laws. In One Person, No Vote, historian and public policy expert Carol Anderson charts the impact of Shelby and the new age of voter suppression it ushered in, with particular focus on the negative effects to Black voter participation. Anderson’s 2016 book White Rage is also a must-read for understanding the ideology behind opposition to the VRA.

Voter suppression isn’t just about limiting who votes, it’s about limiting the power of voting, period. Zachary Roth, a former editorial director for the Brennan Center for Justice, presents a detailed investigation of the ways Republicans have sought to undermine democracy through gerrymandering, voter suppression, lobbying, and corporately-funded litigation. This book will help you understand the major tactics, policies, and Supreme Court cases that explain how we got here.

Since its inception in 1909, the NAACP has been integral to the fight for equal voting rights. Civil rights attorney and constitutional law professor Gloria J. Browne-Marshall explores the suppression tactics that have limited Americans’—particularly Black Americans’—ability to exercise power through the vote and highlights the NAACP’s multifaceted work to expand voting rights through protest, lobbying, and litigation.

Alongside Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., John Lewis was one of the most visible and consequential leaders of the modern fight for civil rights. From leading protesters across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in the historic march on Bloody Sunday to standing for “good trouble” in Congress as the representative for the Georgia 5th district, Lewis dedicated his life to empowering Black Americans through civic action and electoral politics. Historian David Greenberg provides an exhaustive biography in this Pulitzer-nominated work. For a first-person account, don’t miss Lewis’s memoir Walking with the Wind and his award-winning graphic novel trilogy, March.