In 1887, as the South grappled with Reconstruction, Frederick Douglass observed the persistent discrimination that Black Americans faced: “Our wrongs are not so much now in written laws which all may see—but the hidden practices of a people who have not yet abandoned the idea of Mastery and dominion over their fellow man.”

This continued inequality was soon to become law — this time, in the form of Jim Crow. Segregation became enshrined. Schools were separated. Interracial marriage was prohibited.

It would take almost 90 years before Jim Crow laws finally ended as a matter of law. But discrimination in voting remains its awful legacy today.

Yesterday, we saw that legacy play out before our eyes in Tennessee.

As GOP states moved fast to gerrymander in the aftermath of Callais, the Tennessee Assembly adopted an extreme map that carves up the state’s only majority Black district. To add insult to injury, Tennessee Republicans removed a provision requiring voters to be alerted about changes to their designated polling places.

That means voters may show up to the school or town hall or community center where they have voted for 20 years — only to discover on Election Day they are not allowed to vote there. At best, voters will only be inconvenienced but still be able to vote in time. The worst case scenario, however, is that voters race to their new location but are too late. Polls have closed. They can no longer vote.

In one bill, Tennessee managed to combine the worst gerrymandering with blatant voter suppression. As one democracy advocate puts it, the move is “Jim Crow on steroids.”

Do not be mistaken: It is not the white voters in Tennessee who will be most affected by this new map. It is not the white voters in Tennessee who will suffer the greatest inconvenience of looking for their new polling location on Election Day.

That is because the legislature is not seeking to disempower and disenfranchise white voters. It is the Black voters in Tennessee who are being purposefully and meticulously harmed.

This is the reality of voting in Tennessee in 2026.

In 1887, Frederick Douglass described the discrimination he faced as “hidden practices.” In 2026, nothing is hidden about this.

Republicans are blatant and smug about their discrimination. They are loud and proud in ripping away the rights of their neighbors. They are urgent in their rush to bring Jim Crow back to the South — but this time, on steroids.

What worried me this week

While we are laser-focused on the redistricting war, we can’t afford to ignore the other attacks on our democracy, including Trump's determination to prosecute his political enemies.

This week, we watched Trump’s FBI raid the office of Virginia state Sen. Louise Lucas. Lucas is the powerhouse behind the Old Dominion’s redistricting efforts, and the timing of the raid — just weeks after Virginia voters approved the referendum — is certainly no coincidence. Nor was the fact that news crews happened to be there to capture it on video.

In a statement, Lucas shot back at the Trump administration, “What we saw fits a clear pattern from this administration: when challenged, they try to intimidate and silence the voices who stand up to them.”

The raid on Lucas’ office wasn’t the end of the administration’s threats for the week.

On Thursday, Trump called for Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to be charged with “inciting violence.” The threat comes in response to Jeffries’ pledge for “maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time,” which is a line taken directly from the White House itself.

The political prosecutions continue to worry me, and the president is not slowing down. While a Trump opponent has yet to end up behind bars, it might be only a matter of time. We should not wait around until it is too late.

What I’m watching in the courts

What gave me hope this week

Even in these dark times, there is a glimmer of hope. Trump is scared. Republicans are determined to silence voters because they know they can’t win a free and fair election. If the momentum was swinging their way, they wouldn’t panic.

As Leader Jeffries said on my podcast, “Every time Donald Trump wakes up or posts in the middle of the night attacking me, it’s clear we’re getting to him because we’re winning.”

I know the news was tough this week. As I told you, there were moments I felt defeated. But the tide is still in our favor, and as long as we are urgent in our efforts to defend free and fair elections, I believe we will win.