The dumbing down of “voting rights” to simply mean “Democrats win” continued on MS NOW on Wednesday as host Ana Cabrera teamed up with NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson to attack the Supreme Court for greenlighting Alabama’s new congressional map after a lower court inexplicably struck it down despite the recent Callais ruling. With the court process exhausted, the duo suggested boycotting college sports in “Confederate states” as a way to punish them.
Starting a pattern where she would put the ball on the tee and then let Johnson take an easy swing, Cabrera wondered, “We saw hints that this could come when the Supreme Court, of course, gutted the Voting Rights Act back in April. But what does this ruling specifically mean for Alabama voters?”
MS NOW's Ana Cabrera teams up with NAACP Pres. & CEO Derrick Johnson to try to boycott Southern college sports after the Supreme Court green lit Alabama's congressional map, "I spoke last month to the NAACP’s national youth director about a push for black athletes and fans to… pic.twitter.com/AR7eH0lPUN
— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) June 3, 2026
For Johnson, fair elections are when his preferred candidate wins, “Well, it seems as if the Supreme Court is endorsing discriminatory behavior by the state of Alabama. And in general, what we are witnessing now is a complete rollback of protections for African Americans to fully engage in the political space, to ensure that we can elect candidates of our choice and that our rights will be protected under the law.”
Cabrera then moved on to the idea of a college sports boycott, “I spoke last month to the NAACP’s national youth director about a push for black athletes and fans to boycott athletic programs at southern state schools to protest these redistricting moves to try to pressure lawmakers to really think more closely about what they're doing. Do you see traction in that realm, and is pressure on the business and sports community the best way to move forward?”
According to Johnson, it is not that such a boycott could be done, but that it must be done:
Well, we have to respond. You have the former Confederate states taking the Supreme Court decision last month, and they have accelerated ways to exclude African Americans from elected candidates of their choice. Our response is very clear: they should not benefit from profits on the field of the basketball court if they don't want the young people's voice in public policy or selecting candidates, it is the only way to respond. Because in this current climate, we cannot allow ourselves to be erased under the law to ensure equal protection and our citizenship to be accounted for. Our votes matter, and we will continue to fight to ensure our future is intact.
As Johnson tried to imply that eliminating one of two majority-black districts is akin to slavery, Cabrera didn’t object, “And again, that's an alternative to the court fights. This was a Supreme Court decision in Alabama. There are no further appeals. What do you say to people who feel frustrated about the direction these fights are taking?”
Johnson replied:
Well, unfortunately, we have a Supreme Court that is as activist as any Supreme Court that we've ever seen. They appear to be aligned with the interests of the current administration. They are trying to determine the outcome of the November election, and we simply want to ensure that our democracy is intact and that all voters and votes are counted. But this Supreme Court has bent over backwards to allow states like Alabama and many of the Confederate states to discriminate against African Americans, even though there have been findings, particularly in this case, that the districts that now going to move forward was discriminatory in its impact.
By “findings,” Johnson meant the lower court ruling that the Supreme Court batted down. The lower court’s ruling was amazing—and not in a good way—considering the Callais ruling. The lower court defying a Supreme Court ruling that was less than a month old should have been the real story.
Here is a transcript for the June 3 show:
MS NOW Ana Cabrera Reports
6/3/2026
11:52 AM ET
ANA CABRERA: We saw hints that this could come when the Supreme Court, of course, gutted the Voting Rights Act back in April. But what does this ruling specifically mean for Alabama voters?
DERRICK JOHNSON: Well, it seems as if the Supreme Court is endorsing discriminatory behavior by the state of Alabama. And in general, what we are witnessing now is a complete rollback of protections for African Americans to fully engage in the political space, to ensure that we can elect candidates of our choice and that our rights will be protected under the law.
CABRERA: I spoke last month to the NAACP’s national youth director about a push for black athletes and fans to boycott athletic programs at southern state schools to protest these redistricting moves to try to pressure lawmakers to really think more closely about what they're doing. Do you see traction in that realm, and is pressure on the business and sports community the best way to move forward?
JOHNSON: Well, we have to respond. You have the former Confederate states taking the Supreme Court decision last month, and they have accelerated ways to exclude African Americans from elected candidates of their choice. Our response is very clear: they should not benefit from profits on the field of the basketball court if they don't want the young people's voice in public policy or selecting candidates, it is the only way to respond. Because in this current climate, we cannot allow ourselves to be erased under the law to ensure equal protection and our citizenship to be accounted for. Our votes matter, and we will continue to fight to ensure our future is intact.
CABRERA: And again, that's an alternative to the court fights. This was a Supreme Court decision in Alabama. There are no further appeals. What do you say to people who feel frustrated about the direction these fights are taking?
JOHNSON: Well, unfortunately, we have a Supreme Court that is as activist as any Supreme Court that we've ever seen. They appear to be aligned with the interests of the current administration. They are trying to determine the outcome of the November election, and we simply want to ensure that our democracy is intact and that all voters and votes are counted. But this Supreme Court has bent over backwards to allow states like Alabama and many of the Confederate states to discriminate against African Americans, even though there have been findings, particularly in this case, that the districts that now going to move forward was discriminatory in its impact.
