An excerpt from Heather Cox Richardson's essay from May 16, 2026.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

Speakers united around the theme that those trying to gerrymander their way into control of Congress in defiance of voters had reawakened a movement. “They think they can draw us out of power,” Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) told an audience in Montgomery.

“They do not know the sleeping giant that they just awakened. Because it is not a coincidence, and our whole country must understand, that it was not until voting rights were ratified in this country that we got the Great Society. Because when Black Americans have the right to vote and that vote is protected, our schools get funded. When voting rights are protected, healthcare gets expanded. When voted rights are protected, our country moves forward. And Montgomery, that’s what they’re actually afraid of. They’re afraid of us coming together. They’re afraid of us protecting one another.”


All of her essay at the link:
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/may-16-2026?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email-restack-comment&r=lxca0&triedRedirect=true

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[Mister Ed]

1. AOC is so right. EVERYONE benefits from the protection of minority rights.

It even benefits those who would cruelly and short-sightedly strip those rights from minorities.

And we're not even talking about high-minded spiritual benefits here. We're talking about solid, practical, kitchen-table benefits of the sort that AOC outlined.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. Allow me to encourage all of you to read Heather Cox Richardson's essay.

It's very timely and it's superbly written.