Yesterday, the Supreme Court surprised many observers by issuing an opinion that effectively reaffirmed the remaining powers of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The decision was a reprieve for a law that many believed was in danger of being fatally weakened, or overruled entirely, by the conservatives on the court. The Voting Rights Act, along with the 1964 Civil Rights Act, were crucial steps in American democratization, and the laws remain an important institutional means of preserving it. And “Racial Realignment,” by Eric Schickler, shows how a bottom-up alliance of powerful trade unions and groups like the N.A.A.C.P. “South to America,” by Imani Perry, which won the 2022 National Book Award for nonfiction, explores how the history and politics of the South shaped American identity and culture.

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Persons: ”, Robert Mickey, —, Eric Schickler, Imani Perry Organizations: Court, American, Democratic Party, ” Locations: America