(ThyBlackMan.com) Our country is at a major crossroads. Therefore, we sometimes must wonder if most people, regardless of race, gender, age, economic class, or political persuasion, are fully aware of how our nation is changing before our eyes.
On one front, we have the current Supreme Court case Louisiana v. Callais, which threatens to dismantle what is left of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA). The VRA has already suffered a major blow from the 2013 Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder. The 2013 decision invalidated the preclearance Section 4(b), where jurisdictions with a documented history of racial discrimination were required to obtain approval from the U.S. Department of Justice or a federal court before changing any election laws.
Having the Supreme Court dismantle the preclearance safeguard, states are now free to implement discriminatory tactics without the previous federal oversight stopping them. Good-willed Americans need to be honest with themselves concerning the truth about the racial history of this nation. They must be honest about their white supremacy, intolerance, and now its declining support for American democracy. It needs to be understood that racial discrimination has always been entrenched in our nation, and it will always be there in the future.
At times throughout our past, we may experience periods where hate-filled intolerance toward “others” is contained, but racial discrimination against Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian-American communities has never totally gone away to the point where built-in social safeguards such as the VRA and the Civil Rights Act are no longer needed. These safeguards effectively worked, which is why ill-willed people and groups want them removed.
The VRA was a hard-fought byproduct of those who sacrificed their lives and, in many cases, died to obtain full citizenship and political representation for people of color. It became the legislative enforcement of the 14th Amendment. The VRA still serves as the primary mechanism for protecting minority voting power, but it is in serious jeopardy with the Supreme Court’s conservative majority appearing ready to strike down or severely restrict yet another critical section. With Section 2 of the VRA now in the Court’s crosshairs, this is the key provision that prohibits voting practices and redistricting plans that discriminate based on race.
Why is this important? If the Court eliminates or guts Section 2, states will no longer be required to consider race when drawing congressional districts. Under new maps, Republican-controlled legislatures could redraw boundaries to dilute Black and Latino voting strength, potentially flipping 12 to 19 congressional seats toward Republican dominance. The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) has long been a leading voice and the conscience of Congress regarding racial justice and equity. If Section 2 is gutted, the CBC could lose as many as half its members as majority-Black districts are eliminated nationwide through Republican redistricting efforts.
Republicans are getting bold and even more aggressive—for example, the congressional districts represented by Reps. Greg Casar, Henry Cuellar, and Vicente Gonzalez are set to shift significantly to favor Republican candidates in Texas’s redrawn congressional map. In Missouri, Republicans are considering redrawing their state’s congressional lines to add another red House seat.
A redraw in Missouri would likely target and push out Democratic Emanuel Cleaver’s Kansas City-based district. In South Carolina, the Republican nominee for governor has also pushed for redistricting because he says Democrat Jim Clyburn is “not the kind of representation South Carolina needs.” Clyburn has represented South Carolina for nearly 33 years. Republican redistricting efforts in Indiana have threatened André Carson, whose seat has been held by a Black House member for over 20 years.
The VRA was designed to ensure that elected officials reflect the multiracial electorate they serve. It was put into place to prevent the manipulation of states to entrench the power and dominance of one party over the other. Good-willed Republicans must ask themselves two important questions. First, do they sincerely understand why millions of people took part in the No Kings protests worldwide, which were in essence protests against President Donald Trump and the policies of his administration? Secondly, do they fully understand that this nation is under authoritarian rule and Donald Trump has turned the Republican Party into the “American Fascist Party?”
Most Black voters have aligned themselves with the Democratic Party for several reasons, but historically, it comes down to aligning with justice and preserving human dignity. During the time of Reconstruction, it was the Republican Party that fought hard for full citizenship for the newly freed slaves. They fought for the 14th Amendment. The Democratic Party was the anti-Black party at the time. Then came the Southern strategy with Republicans seeking the electoral support among white voters by appealing to their racism against Blacks. The Republican Party changed when it found this to be an effective strategy.
Ultimately, with the Democrats becoming the progressive party, fighting to preserve human dignity and fairness, Blacks changed their political alignment to the Democrats. If Republicans become successful in their latest power grab, Republican dominance will also mean authoritarian dominance. Today’s crossroads is with good-willed Republicans. As their party once again changes, will good-willed Republican voters follow the course of Black voters and align themselves with the party that promotes fairness, justice, and true democracy?
Written by David W. Marshall
Official website; https://davidwmarshallauthor.com/
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