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Voting

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The activists changing Ferguson

It has been six years since 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, his body left in the street for nearly four hours. No charges were filed against Officer Darren Wilson. Brown’s death and a grand jury’s decision not to charge Wilson sparked protests — and inspired a new generation of activists who mobilized voters to make change in Ferguson through the ballot box. Wesley Lowery reports for the CBSN special “The Power of August.”

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Efforts to boost Black voter participation

Some say voting rights have been threatened for millions of Black Americans since the Supreme Court struck down a key section of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which required states with racist histories to get federal approval for changes in voting laws. Across the country, polling places in minority communities were closed, forcing voters of color to travel greater distances to stand in hours-long lines just to cast their ballots -- a deterrent in past years but potentially life-threatening this year amid the coronavirus pandemic. Michelle Miller reports on the activists working to boost voter registration and participation among Black Americans.

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