Launching on Juneteenth, the "Blackest" bus in the country and local and national partners will tour 9 southern cities to raise awareness about the current threat to voting rights and building Black power in the south.

The Democratic Senator from West Virginia penned an op-ed opposing Democracy reform legislation, citing a lack of bipartisan support despite evidence of Republican coordination to pass voter suppression laws.

Some Congressional Black Caucus members believe that voting rights should be prioritized alongside broader election reform legislation.

Smith and director Antoine Fuqua decided to pull their slave drama "Emancipation" out of Georgia in protest of new voting restrictions, but voting rights advocates have asked that high-profile celebrities stay and fight instead.

Voting rights advocates, including Stacey Abrams, founder of Fair Fight Action, challenged provisions of the law which they saw could strip control from local election boards and increase penalties for voting-related criminal charges.