"In [Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s letter from Birmingham jail], King differentiated between just and unjust laws, citing measures that prevented Black Americans from voting as a form of legalized injustice.... By blocking voting reform today, Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema are the White moderates Dr. King warned us about."

"Instead, these moments [of racial reckoning] are often met with violent responses. They are also often met with new laws that attempt to weaken the political power of Black people while strengthening the political power of white people. And, yes, these moments are also often met by attempts to ensure a particular telling of American history that helps to maintain the mythology of racial progress that so many Americans find so deeply attractive."