Racial discrimination in voting has been a longstanding issue throughout Black history in the United States. Following the civil war and the end of slavery, African Americans faced numerous obstacles in exercising their right to vote.

During the Reconstruction era, the 15th Amendment was ratified in 1870, granting African American men the right to vote. However, states in the South implemented various discriminatory practices to disenfranchise Black voters, such as literacy tests, poll taxes, and grandfather clauses.

These discriminatory practices persisted for decades, with violence and intimidation used to prevent Black Americans from voting. The Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups frequently targeted Black voters and activists, leading to a climate of fear and suppression.

The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s brought attention to the issue of voter disenfranchisement, culminating in the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This landmark legislation prohibited racial discrimination in voting, and sought to protect the voting rights of African Americans.

However, challenges to voting rights have persisted in more recent years, such as through voter ID laws, voter purges, and gerrymandering. Efforts to combat these forms of discrimination continue to be a key focus of civil rights activists and organizations.