The Voting Rights Act's Success Means Black Americans Can Adapt to Legal Changes Without Catastrophic Setbacks
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/by/john-mcwhorter. "Opinion | The Voting Rights Act Changed America. Now, It Can Change. - The New York Times." May 7, 2026. www.nytimes.com
The Gist
McWhorter argues that while the Supreme Court's recent voting rights decision is troubling, Black Americans have made so much political progress over 60 years that they can weather this setback. He believes the doom-and-gloom predictions ignore how much has changed - Black politicians now win in white districts, Black voters are less predictable, and there are thousands more Black elected officials than before.
Conclusion
The Supreme Court's ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, while concerning, will not devastate Black political representation because decades of progress have fundamentally changed the landscape of Black electoral participation and success
Premises
- Black political representation has dramatically increased since the 1960s, with Black members of Congress rising from 19 in 1982 to 67 today, and total Black elected officials growing from 1,500 in 1970 to over 10,000 today
- The Black vote is becoming less monolithic, as evidenced by growing support for Trump (15% in 2024) and the existence of successful Black Republican candidates
- Black candidates can win in majority-white districts, with 30 Black Congress members representing plurality-white districts in 2023 and 8 majority-white districts electing Black candidates in 2018
- Practical political considerations may limit the impact of the ruling, as Republican redistricting efforts could backfire by creating additional Democratic districts
- The assumption that Black voters can only be represented by Black candidates in majority-minority districts treats Black Americans as perpetual victims rather than recognizing their political evolution
Assumptions
- Political progress is incremental and irreversible once sufficient momentum is achieved
- Black political success can be measured primarily through electoral representation numbers
- Partisan considerations in redistricting are fundamentally different from racial discrimination
- Black voters' increasing political diversity indicates growing political maturity and integration