African-American Equality Commission report presented by Dom Shannon to the CPUSA National Committee meeting of July 12, 2026.

Freedom Summer 2026 is upon us — led by Black southern organizations like Black Voters Matter and others, following the Supreme Court’s gutting of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and the subsequent “All Roads Lead to the South” demonstration in Montgomery, Alabama, on May 17. Beginning on Juneteenth and continuing through the end of summer, these mass democratic organizations are calling for a militant defense of civil rights throughout the country in response to these significant rollbacks of Black political power in the South and the gutting of civil rights protections by the federal government.

The Congressional Black Caucus also wrote a letter calling on big business to stand in defense of voting rights and fair representation, in response to the canceling of primary elections in states like Louisiana and gerrymandering in Tennessee and elsewhere. Organizations have also called for boycotts and demonstrations against large corporations like FedEx, which have supported Republican politicians who voted to gut Black political power in the South. The NAACP has called for a boycott, titled “Out of Bounds,” targeting universities in southern states that are attacking Black voting rights and political power.

The wave of attacks on Black communities in the South has also been reflected in a disturbing series of cases involving Black children and teenagers. How much are the lives of Black children worth in the eyes of racists, police officers, and corporations?

Last month, Kohen Wiley, a one-year-old baby, was murdered after Mississippi police opened fire on a vehicle responding to a call alleging that his mother and her friend were shoplifting diapers from a local Walmart. His death has prompted widespread demands for accountability from the community, which is calling for an independent investigation, given that Kohen’s mother has stated police were aware a baby was in the car.

Cyrus Carmack Belton, a boy only 14 years old, was shot in the back and killed by a shop owner in South Carolina in 2023, who accused him of stealing a one-dollar bottle of water. Last month, his killer was found not guilty.

In Texas, the prosecution of Black teenager Karmelo Anthony became a national story, exposing deep divisions and renewed concerns about the hypocrisy of the criminal justice system following his conviction in the fatal stabbing of another student, after Anthony argued he acted in self-defense.

And most recently, the death of a teen named Nolan Xavier Wells in Mississippi—who was found off the Gulf Coast after going out on a boat with friends for the Fourth of July holiday—has raised concern from the community, which noticed that all of the friends Nolan was with that day were white and is questioning why none of his friends were with him when he died.

For these infants, children, and teens, justice is not guaranteed. Communities across the South and across the country must mobilize for accountability and demand the protection and innocence of our children.

Additionally, the Trump administration’s deployment of National Guard troops in Black-led or majority-Black cities has led to the recent murder of 20-year-old Tyrin Johnson in Memphis, Tennessee, by active-duty military. A nearly one-year-long military occupation has been taking place in Washington, D.C., with Democratic governors now joining over a dozen Republican governors in sending their troops, ballooning the total to over 5,000.

Trump 2.0 has driven a fascist movement toward what our Party leadership has called a “Civil Rights Counterrevolution,” overturning our democratic advances since the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. The fascist-leaning Supreme Court nearly handed Trump a victory by attempting to overturn the Reconstruction-era 14th Amendment, which granted African Americans citizenship. The Trump administration is also pushing its fascist policies into the November midterms by prioritizing the SAVE Act, which will disenfranchise millions of voters around the country.

The African American Equality Commission is calling for the full mobilization of our Party districts and clubs in defense of voting and civil rights, with particular focus on the South. The Commission continues to urge participation in the Target boycott, with an emphasis on back-to-school, following the AFL-CIO and AFT’s recent resolutions in support. We urge clubs and districts to build deep and wide coalitions—including the Black church, civil rights organizations, legal defense groups, and more—to renew the freedom movement within their local communities. This includes expelling military occupations from Black-led and largely Black cities, fighting gerrymandering at the state level, participating in mass voter registration campaigns, fighting against police crime — including federal immigration enforcement — supporting local boycott movements, organizing mass meetings and town halls, and more.

Image: Fred Barr / CPUSA