#BREAKING: The Supreme Court today ruled in Allen v. Milligan in favor of Black voters who challenged Alabama’s 2021-enacted congressional map.
“For years, redistricting and voting rights organizers have advocated for fair and equitable legislative maps,” said Ashley K. Shelton, president and CEO of the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice. “Today, the Supreme Court affirmed the importance of fair maps and ordered officials in Alabama to redraw legislative lines which undermine the power of Black voters.
We are optimistic about the future of fair maps in Louisiana. At every stage of the redistricting process, we worked with community members across the state to ensure their voices were heard. Their message could not have been clearer: They wanted fair maps that represent all of Louisiana’s communities and no longer deny Black voters an equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. We are eager to see this legal process play out in the judiciary and have renewed hope after the Supreme Court’s ruling. The promise of fair representation has been the north star guiding our work on behalf of voters in Louisiana and we are ready to finally reach it.
Although today’s decision was in our favor, we have a long way to go to ensure that all people can vote, have their vote counted and elect candidates of choice,” Shelton said. “We must continue organizing, educating our communities, and preparing to vote en masse each time we have the opportunity to do so. This is a big win for voting rights, and with this legal precedent, we will continue to make fair representation possible in Louisiana.”
Thank you to all who stood in the fight. This is not the end but only the beginning.
Most importantly, this is a historic win that will shape the future of voting rights for Black folks across the nation.
Louisiana, let’s rejoice in this amazing win but remember we have work to still do with elections coming up this fall.