Virginia Court Kills Redistricting Vote. NAACP Fights Tennessee Black District Attack
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Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Alabama and Tennessee legislatures recently wiped out multiple Black congressional districts, following a Supreme Court decision that allegedly enabled such actions.
- ❖The NAACP filed a lawsuit in Tennessee, challenging the governor's special session proclamation for exceeding its stated purpose and repealing a law against mid-decade redistricting.
- ❖Congresswoman Terry Su highlights Alabama's efforts to vacate an injunction protecting a newly gained Black congressional seat and revert to a map that dilutes Black voting power.
- ❖The Virginia Supreme Court overturned a redistricting referendum approved by over 3 million voters, citing procedural rule violations, which critics argue was a politically motivated decision.
- ❖Speakers emphasize that these actions are a direct attack on Black America, not just Democrats, and are reminiscent of post-Reconstruction efforts to suppress Black political influence.
- ❖There is an urgent call for a massive Black voter registration and mobilization drive, aiming for 70-90% turnout, to counter these 'fascist' tactics at the ballot box.
- ❖The economic situation for Black Americans shows increasing unemployment (7.3%) and a 'K-shaped economy' where the wealthy thrive while others face rising costs and job insecurity.
- ❖The case of Tony Kurthers, scheduled for execution in Tennessee, raises serious concerns due to a conviction based on recanted informant testimony, no physical evidence, and lack of legal counsel at trial.
- ❖A Black man in Tampa was racially profiled by police while waiting for a bank to open, highlighting ongoing issues of systemic racism.
- ❖Bowie State University, an HBCU, faces significant job cuts due to budget shortfalls from reduced state/federal funding and declining enrollment.
Insights
1Systematic Dismantling of Black Political Power in Southern States
The host and guests detail how Republican-led legislatures in Alabama and Tennessee recently eliminated multiple Black congressional districts. In Alabama, this included wiping out a newly gained seat held by Congressman Shamari Figures and a long-held seat of Congresswoman Terry Su. In Tennessee, lawmakers dismantled the only majority-Black district in Memphis. These actions are framed as a direct 'GOP war on Black America' and a continuation of the 'rise of the Confederacy,' aiming to destroy Black political power.
Roland Martin states, 'The GOP's war on black America continues where today in Alabama they wiped out two black congressional seats.' () Christian Clark, NAACP General Counsel, describes 'this horrific moment yesterday where lawmakers dismantled, targeted, destroyed the only majority black district, uh, in the state of Tennessee.' () Congresswoman Terry Su notes, 'The state of Alabama has called a special election. And in that special election, they're paving the way to get rid of black representation.' ()
2Legal Challenges to Redistricting and Procedural Violations
The NAACP has filed a lawsuit in Tennessee challenging the governor's proclamation for a special session, arguing it illegally exceeded its scope by repealing a law against mid-decade redistricting and altering residency requirements. In Alabama, Congresswoman Terry Su explains their ongoing fight to maintain an injunctive order from the Milligan case (2023) that granted an additional Black seat, as the state attempts to vacate it and revert to a map that significantly reduces Black voting percentages.
Christian Clark states, 'We filed suit yesterday in state court. And what we're challenging is the proclamation that was issued by the governor... they also repealed a law that's been on the books for five decades that actually prohibits mid decade redistricting.' () Congresswoman Terry Su mentions, 'we actually have an injunctive order uh that uh that prohibits them from changing their maps until 2020 until 2030. As you will recall, we won the Milligan case in 2023, which gave us an extra seat.' ()
3Virginia Supreme Court Overturns Redistricting Referendum
The Virginia Supreme Court, in a 4-3 decision, ruled that a redistricting referendum narrowly approved by over 3 million voters violated procedural rules. This decision effectively nullified the will of the people, with critics, including the Virginia Attorney General and House Speaker, calling it a politically motivated overreach that 'silences the voices of the millions of Virginiaians' and 'contorted the plain language of the Constitution.'
Roland Martin reports, 'the Virginia Supreme Court ruled 4 to three that the redistricting referendum that was narrowly approved by voters in April special election violated procedural rules.' () Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones stated, 'This decision silences the voices of the millions of Virginiaians who cast their ballots... The Republican le majority of the Supreme Court of Virginia contorted the plain language of the Constitution and Code of Virginia to give it a meaning that was never intended.' ()
4Economic Disparities and the 'K-Shaped Economy'
Despite a stable general unemployment rate, the Black unemployment rate continues to rise, reaching 7.3%. This disparity is attributed to factors like the elimination of federal jobs and a decline in transportation-related jobs, which disproportionately affect Black men. The economy is described as 'K-shaped,' where those with existing wealth continue to prosper, while those at the lower end face increasing economic hardship due to stagnant wage growth and rising inflation, particularly from the war in Iran and data center buildouts.
Morgan Harper states, 'the black unemployment rate that's continuing to increase at 7.3%.' () She adds, 'what is driving this increase in black unemployment? Absolutely. The elimination of federal jobs... The lack of transportation related jobs that is typically a big employer of black men also going down.' () Harper explains, 'this term people have probably heard about the K-shaped economy that, you know, if you have already, you're going to continue to to do well... And then if you don't, you're going to continue to go down and down.' ()
5Questionable Death Row Case in Tennessee
Tony Kurthers is scheduled for execution in Tennessee, despite significant doubts about his guilt. His conviction in 1994 for triple murder relied heavily on the testimony of a paid informant who later recanted his statement before trial, only to repeat it under threat of perjury. There is no physical evidence linking Kurthers to the crime, and untested DNA and fingerprint evidence exist. Furthermore, Kurthers was forced to represent himself at trial, a rare occurrence in death penalty cases, raising serious Sixth Amendment concerns.
Maria Delibero of the ACLU states, 'Mr. Kthers... has been on death row in Tennessee for 30 years uh for a crime he maintains he did not commit. There is untested DNA and fingerprint evidence.' () She adds, 'his testimony uh the the uh codefendant had said to federal investigators back in 2010 and 2011 that Mr. K others was not involved.' () Delibero highlights, 'Tony's case is it was built on the testimony of a paid informant who who said he was pressured to lie and paid. He recanted his testimony before trial.' () and 'Mr. Kthers was forced to represent himself at trial.' ()
Lessons
- Participate in massive voter registration and mobilization efforts across Southern states to counter the systematic attacks on Black political power. Aim for 70-90% turnout.
- Support organizations like the NAACP and ACLU in their legal battles against discriminatory redistricting and other civil rights violations.
- Contact Governor Bill Lee of Tennessee to urge a stay of execution for Tony Kurthers, demanding DNA and fingerprint testing and a review of his conviction.
Notable Moments
A tense exchange during a Louisiana redistricting committee meeting where a Black legislator's microphone was cut off while he criticized the committee's work for eliminating Black elected seats.
This clip visually demonstrates the aggressive and dismissive tactics used against Black legislators attempting to defend their communities' political representation during redistricting processes.
A Black man in Tampa, Florida, was questioned by police after bank employees called them because he was sitting in his car waiting for the bank to open.
This incident serves as a clear example of racial profiling, where a Black individual engaging in routine activity is perceived as suspicious, leading to unnecessary police intervention and highlighting systemic biases.
Quotes
"The GOP's war on black America continues where today in Alabama they wiped out two black congressional seats."
"We have seen the floodgates of of racism open and unleashed. and their very first target, the very top of their agenda is wiping out black electoral opportunity and black leadership."
"It is, in my opinion, uh the the Supreme Court decision will have the largest reduction of black representation in American history."
"Never give up. Never give in. Keep the faith. And we have to keep our eyes on the prize. And the prize is black representation. If we don't have a seat at the table, we're going to be on the menu."
"This is a full-on onslaught that you're trying to make seem as though it's purely, hey, we disagree about these issues."
"Racism and white supremacy attacks all black people regardless of the religion you practice, the language you speak, or u which political ideology you have or anything like that."
"We're not making enough money to keep up with how expensive everything is."
"Their missiles aren't firing, but there's certainly uh civil rights missiles that are firing that will eviscerate what you have and how you live, how you eat, how you pay for your kids to go to school or not go to school."
Q&A
Recent Questions
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