Black leaders say threats to undermine US democracy appear aimed at their community

BY AYANNA ALEXANDER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Some of the nation’s most influential Black leaders say many of the threats to democratic institutions in the U.S. appear to be aimed squarely at their community, including efforts to make voting more difficult, censor lessons around race and weaken social safeguards such as affirmative action. They used a wide-ranging forum on Thursday at the annual meeting of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation as a call to action to ensure that the interests of Black Americans are not further eroded. Several members of the Black Caucus, voting rights advocates and community activists spoke about how mostly Republican-led actions to dismantle affirmative action in higher education, ban books in schools and restrict voting are particularly harming Black Americans.