CNN’s Bakari Sellers said Southern states moving to redraw congressional districts after the Supreme Court’s Callais decision are intent on undoing generations of civil rights progress. “Black folks throughout the South are being silenced, and I don’t find that to be a laughing matter,” he said. “If someone fell asleep in 1896 and woke up today, they would say the only difference is now Black Americans have TV shows and wear nice suits,” he said. “They’ve swapped out Klan Hoods for Brooks Brothers suits.”

BAKARI SELLERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I mean, not only is it chaos, but you’re literally throwing out votes as you said. I mean, I watched 60 Minutes with Governor Landry from Louisiana throwing out votes, and he chuckled about it. In South Carolina, people have already voted from overseas, and you chuckle about it. But I want to take a step back and look at this from a 50,000-foot view, to be completely honest. I think Ashley and I have to wrestle with the fact that we are going to be the first generation to actually leave this country worse than the one that we inherited. And I think for black millennials, the progress that our parents and grandparents gave us that we’re watching being ripped away from us is something that our generation’s going to have to really wrestle with in figuring out how we get out of this conundrum. If somebody fell asleep in 1896 and woke up today in 2026, they would simply say the only difference is now Negroes have a T.V. show and we wear nice suits. They swapped out Klan hoods for Brooks Brothers suits. And that is the problem. I mean, Plessy v. Ferguson was 7-1, and it gave birth to 50 years of Jim Crow. What we have with this court right now, what we’re seeing is watching people who have fought and died and bled so that we would have access to the ballot box, so that we would have access to our voices being heard in Congress, being ripped away. And I think that there is a casual laughter from people we believe to be our friends on the right who are showing us true colors today, because the most sacred, or one of the most sacred acts you have in the United States of America is the ability to cast a ballot and elect someone and send them to Congress, the State House or a mayoral seat that represents your interest. And now black folks throughout the South are being silenced, and I don’t find that to be a laughing matter. … KEVIN O’LEARY, CHAIRMAN, O’LEARY VENTURES: I think everybody should take confidence in the fact the Supreme Court basically supported one vote, one person guaranteed in perpetuity, and the rest is just map wars. And I think we should get used to it. And I think it’s, as you said, a state-based situation. Add this to the mix. At the end of the day, the state decides at the state level. It’s in the Constitution. Get over it. SELLERS: The problem with that sentiment is that you were born in 1954. O’LEARY: Yes. SELLERS: Okay? You’re 71. In 1954 — O’LEARY: By the way, I’m a vampire. I’m going to live until I — SELLERS: — during your lifetime, we’ve actually had Brown v. Board of Education. O’LEARY: I remember. SELLERS: Yes, Brown v. Board of Education, I don’t know how you remember it. I think you were like two months old. O’LEARY: You’re going to drill back to ’54? SELLERS: Yes, because you’re still alive, right? And so there is an entire generation of people, Brown v. Board, it overturned Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896. O’LEARY: And your point is? Bring it. Bring it. Bring it. SELLERS: And my point is that my mother was born in 1951. She desegregated schools. My father was shot in the Civil Rights Movement. SELLERS: I’m going to finish, because you’re being utterly disrespectful. O’LEARY: Not at all. SELLERS: So, I’m going to finish this comment. So, what I’m telling you is that there are people in this country who fought, died, and bled for the right to vote. Don’t be a dick, just understand. ABBY PHILLIP, CNN: Okay, Bakari, please. SELLERS: Just understand. O’LEARY: The Constitution’s being upheld. You have a problem with that? You have a problem with the Constitution of the United States of America? PHILLIP: Hold on a second. Bakari, I’m going to stop you, because I just want everybody to reset with a modicum of respect at this table. Please stop, okay? SELLERS: I want you to understand that there’s a price that was paid for this right. There is a price that we uphold. And whether or not you value that — O’LEARY: Where are you going with this? SELLERS: Whether or not you value that or not, there are people who bled, sweat, and died, and were in prison for access to the ballot box. And what we’re seeing — O’LEARY: They still have access — SELLERS: What we’re seeing throughout the South is that their voice, their vote, their representation, and people who have lived experiences to represent them are not being sent to Congress or where they need to go.

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