Myrlie Evers-Williams talks to Melissa Harris-Perry about SCOTUS rulings on VRA, affirmative action

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The 2013 Essence Festival is definitely a party with a purpose.

Also known as the biggest celebration of black women in the world, it is a place where our greatest leaders have converged to discuss the issues that matter most to the black community — plus those that impact Americans unilaterally, but African-Americans in particular, such as voting rights.

Scholar and MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry spoke to civil rights activist Myrlie Evers-Williams about significant changes in the Voting Rights Act and possible changes in affirmative action that may be coming, due to recent rulings by the Supreme Court.

Myrlie Evers-Williams, the widow of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers, has carried on this icon’s legacy by becoming a pioneering activist and journalist in her own career. Evers-Williams stopped by the MSNBC experience at the Essence Festival to discuss how she feels about these recent legal shifts and how they may impact civil rights at a live taping of the Melissa Harris-Perry show.

Follow Alexis Garrett Stodghill on Twitter @lexisb.