On April 29, the U.S. Supreme Court dismantled the Voting Rights Act, setting off a wave of attacks on Black representation and Black communities’ ability to elect Black leaders across the South.
In the court case of Louisiana v. Callais, the Supreme Court ruled that the drawing of a majority-Black congressional district in Louisiana to remedy previous racial gerrymandering constituted an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.
The Supreme Court also ruled that to prove racial gerrymandering, the plaintiff must prove racial intent and must “disentangle” racial intent from partisan motives.
This essentially gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, by making it much harder for Black voters to prove racial gerrymandering.
Southern ‘domino effect’
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
What followed was a domino effect of Southern states attempting to silence Black voters.
Florida passed its redrawn map and Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the map into law on May 4. Tennessee’s new map, which eliminated their only majority Black congressional district, was signed into law on May 7. Louisiana drew a new map with only one majority Black congressional district and was signed into law on May 29. On June 2, the Supreme Court ruled that Alabama could move forward with a congressional district map containing only one majority-Black district instead of its current two.
On May 13, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp called state lawmakers back for a special session to redraw our own state’s congressional and state legislative district lines. The special session begins in the Georgia State Capitol on Wednesday and we could have new, racist maps signed into law on Juneteenth itself.
This is not a Southern issue or a Black issue; it impacts us all. An attack on Black political power threatens democracy for everyone. Right now, they are targeting Black representation in the South, but tomorrow it could be a blue district in any state.
‘This is our Civil Rights Movement’
Credit: Abbey Cutrer/AJC
Credit: Abbey Cutrer/AJC
If you have ever wondered what you would’ve done during the Civil Rights Movement, now is the time to find out.
This is our Civil Rights Movement.
So, why are Republicans doing this now? Because they’re taking advantage of a Supreme Court filled with Trump yes-men who are willing to go directly against law and precedent to create policies that suit Trump’s agenda — a deeply unpopular agenda. And Republicans know how unpopular it is.
Almost half of all Americans feel they’re worse off financially than they were last year. Republicans let Affordable Care Act subsidies expire and increased healthcare costs for millions across the country. Working families are paying the cost of Trump’s illegal war on Iran at the gas pump. And a majority of Americans feel like Trump’s violent ICE has gone too far.
Republicans know their agenda is unpopular. So, they’re attacking the right to vote.
The attack isn’t limited to our congressional district lines. Republicans have engaged in a broader effort to restrict access to the ballot box and undermine confidence in our elections.
They have spread disinformation about candidates and election results, raided the Fulton County Election Hub and Operations Center to stoke fear, attacked mail-in voting, and threatened to put ICE at voting locations.
‘We have fought this fight before’
Credit: Steve Schaefer /
Credit: Steve Schaefer /
The fight for the Voting Rights Act and the modern day attacks show that the fight for democracy never ends but evolves.
Rather than limiting people’s ability to vote and elect leaders who represent them, we should be strengthening and protecting these rights. Congress should pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to restore the protections of the Voting Rights Act.
Congress should also pass one of the most comprehensive voting rights legislative packages in congressional history, which I, Congresswoman Nikema Williams, introduced this Congress. This legislation would address every aspect of voting, voter registration and election administration to ensure that every eligible voter who wants to participate in a federal election can do so with confidence that their vote will be counted.
We must also pass the Freedom to Vote Act, which would create broad opportunities to vote before and on Election Day, make Election Day a holiday, expand voter protections to underserved communities and ban partisan gerrymandering nationwide.
Our friend and fellow Fighting Fifth Representative, Congressman John Lewis told us, “Ours is not the struggle of one day, one week, or one year. Ours is not the struggle of one judicial appointment or presidential term. Ours is the struggle of a lifetime, or maybe even many lifetimes, and each one of us in every generation must do our part.”
The struggle to pass the Voting Rights Act, the struggle for Black representation in Congress, the struggle for fair representation is alive and well ahead of Georgia’s special session to redistrict.
If you care about healthcare, affordability, the environment, civil rights, or whatever issue keeps you up at night, then you should care about voting rights.
We have fought this fight before, and we will fight it again. The battle for fair representation takes place in Congress, in the courts and in our communities. Georgia’s future of congressional representation is at stake. Voters should choose who will represent them — not the other way around.
Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, represents the 5th District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Ambassador Andrew Young served as a lieutenant to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, a member of Congress, U.S. representative to the United Nations during the Carter administration and Atlanta mayor from 1982-1990.
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