One of the nation's oldest civil rights organizations is warning that Russian attempts to interfere in the U.S. political process deliberately targeted African Americans, drawing a link to domestic efforts to curtail voting rights and roll back landmark civil rights protections.

In its annual "State of Black America" report, the National Urban League found malicious foreign actors' use of social media to spread disinformation "aligns with racially-motivated efforts taking place in state legislatures across the nation" and recent Supreme Court decisions.

Unveiling the report at the start of a three-day conference at the National Press Club in Washington, Marc Morial, the group's president and CEO, highlighted Russia's use of race as a weapon to divide Americans and dissuade African Americans from voting, a dynamic he said has been overlooked in the public discussion of Russian interference.