Today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling on one of our nation’s most important civil rights protections, Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, is a devastating step backward for a representative and inclusive democracy.

For decades, the Voting Rights Act has been a cornerstone of efforts to ensure that all people — regardless of race or background — are fully represented in our democracy. Weakening these protections will make it harder for communities — specifically Black people and other people of color, the very communities whose full representation was at the heart of the Voting Rights Act — to have their voices heard and their votes counted.

A thriving, resilient democracy depends on broad participation and equal representation. The erosion of these rights undermines our democratic institutions and devalues the voices of communities. This ruling threatens our collective ability to use the tools of self-governance to solve pressing challenges.

The Packard Foundation will continue to support the leaders and organizations in the U.S. South and across the country working to advance fair and inclusive systems, to strengthen civic participation, and to build a democracy that works for all of us.