WASHINGTON — Anxiety is the best description as the nation’s voters approach the Tuesday election that will decide which party controls Congress for the next two years....

NEW ORLEANS – As early voting began in Louisiana last week, Taetrece Harrison and her mother waited for the polls to open. Most of the people in line with them were women. Harrison and her mother were both galvanized by this summer’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, which triggered Louisiana’s near-total ban on abortion. More than 363,000 votes have been cast during the early voting period, which ended November 1....

MEDIA ADVISORYOctober 29, 2022 CONTACTKatie Baker, Petkanas Strategiespress@zpstrategies.com Dozens of Storm Survivors, 16 Grassroots Organizations From New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Florida and Puerto Rico Gathered to Mark 10-year Anniversary of Superstorm Sandy and 5-year anniversary of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, 1-year Anniversary of Hurricane Ida  Release New Roadmap With Recommendations For Congress and Federal Government To Improve Broken Federal Disaster Response System’s Ability To Handle Increased Severity & Frequency Of Storms Due to Climate Change  Recommendations Include Distributing Disaster Recovery Funding Faster, Reforming Flood Insurance Program   The Full Report Can Be Found Here   Photos from the Event Will Be Uploaded Here   PORT MONMOUTH, NJ – Today, a coalition of storm survivors, fifteen advocacy organizations and lawmakers from New Jersey, Texas, Florida, Louisiana and Puerto Rico gathered to commemorate the anniversaries of major storms in their states and release a new report detailing policy recommendations addressing how the federal national disaster response systems leave communities...

SHREVEPORT, La.-In partnership with the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, members of the Divine Nine, a collective of Black Greek-lettered organizations, gathered in the parking lot of Remington College for a “Stroll to the Polls” event aimed at encouraging early voting in Shreveport.  The event featured food, entertainment and fellowship as a way to highlight the secondary early voting location at Shreve Memorial Library. ...

A group of four phone-bankers sat around a conference table at the offices of Women With A Vision in New Orleans, a group that advocates for abortion rights, about a month before the midterm elections, dialing up voters across Louisiana to ask them about reproductive rights. They didn’t use the word abortion — it tends to make people hang up on them. Instead, they said they were calling about “Louisiana’s statewide decision in regards to family planning” and “women’s reproductive rights,” euphemisms for Louisiana’s near-total abortion ban in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade....

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)— The organization, Young People Vote, is hosting a “Bike N Vote” initiative, which provides free bikes for the community to use during early voting for local elections. The initiative is especially geared toward getting people of color out to the polls to vote.  “Voting is a part of our right as humans and our ancestors fought for years to uphold the integrity and equity of the vote. We must continue those efforts throughout the years,” Morgan Walker, Young People Vote and Bike N Vote Founder said....

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) – Young People Vote invites the public to bike through downtown Shreveport to go vote when the early voting is open. On Oct. 29, the nonpartisan state-based civic engagement and movement-building organization, Young People Vote is hosting Bike N Vote across the state of Louisiana with a focus on getting Black and brown people, especially gen Z, gen X, and millenials energies up for the upcoming election....

For Immediate Release Shreveport, LA– Today, October 21, 2022, Power Coalition for Equity and Justice (PCEJ), along with partners will celebrate the commencement of a second early voting location in Caddo Parish at the Shreve Memorial Library- Hamilton/South Caddo Branch. This significant moment and location will be marked by a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10 a.m.  “This moment is a huge win for those in the community of Caddo,” said Ashley Shelton, CEO of PCEJ. “Since 2016, the people have been demanding a second early voting location. Early voting is one way people can show up and have their voices heard. It gives voters juggling responsibilities options on when and how they can make time to still get to the polls. In this day and age flexibility makes a difference in how people participate.”  In 2021, PCEJ along with a group of partner organizations drafted a letter to the Caddo...

WASHINGTON, DC — Shortly ahead of arguing before the Supreme Court on a voting rights lawsuit that bears his name, Alabama attorney Evan Milligan was already looking forward to what needs to be done to secure permanent voting rights protections for all Americans. “My hope is not based on the court,” Milligan said at a recent news conference. “My hope is based on the agency of my people and our allies.”...

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – If you missed the deadline to register to vote in person you still have a chance to register to vote online. The Power Coalition for Equity & Justice explains why it’s important you make your voice heard.  “We must make sure that we are participating in this process, that we are voting and having our voices heard,” said Ashley Kennedy Shelton, Founder & President of Power Coalition for Equity & Justice....

Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, a 2022 Vote Your Voice grantee, represents Louisianans like Deborah, who has a partial disability and walks with a cane. Deborah is one of the countless Black residents who, for over a century of Black voter suppression, have been forced to wage herculean efforts just to cast their ballots. Deborah was living in Red Cross evacuee housing in New Orleans, three hours’ drive from her home in Calcasieu Parish, after two mighty hurricanes struck in late summer 2020. When early voting began in October and she was instructed by her home parish board of elections official to vote in New Orleans, she tried one, and then a second polling location where the line was shorter. She never anticipated what happened next....

Nearly 30,000 Caddo Parish residents voted early in 2020. During that critical election, many voters endured long lines that wrapped around the block and others had to walk several blocks to find free parking at voting sites. Some voters felt the lines were too long to wait and resigned to find another time when the wait might not be as long. There are limited hours at the single voting location and the average worker does not have the luxury to take off multiple times. Shreveport is the parish seat of Caddo Parish and has a population of close to 190,000 people. The parish itself has a land mass of approximately 852 square miles. Smaller parishes in Louisiana such as Calcasieu (Lake Charles) and Bossier Parish (Bossier City) have multiple early voting locations, which helps ease the barriers and burdens of early voting. The single early voting location site in Caddo...

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As The South Votes, Episode 2. What gerrymandering looks like in the South—and what we can do about it before it’s too late....

Technical difficulties at the Claiborne Building plagued Louisiana’s Disability Voting Task Force meeting Monday, preventing nearly 20 people from attending via its virtual live stream — a critical means of access for some disabled people.  Louisiana Secretary of State spokesman John Tobler said in a phone interview that the task force had experienced technical problems with YouTube’s live stream function and could not fix it without disconnecting others who attended via the Zoom platform. ...

Competition in the electric utility industry, and more solar, nuclear and wind power, represent the best ways to reduce power costs for customers, according to The Times-Picayune Power Poll. Louisiana historically gives power utilities a monopoly in their geographic markets, but the Public Service Commission is considering competition, which was the No. 1 choice of Power Poll respondents. Here are the weighted rankings:...

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WASHINGTON, D.C. (NBC) – With midterms just over a month away, the Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments on a case involving the Alabama electoral map and redistricting that could negatively impact Black voters in the state. Tuesday’s arguments present a test for the conservative-leaning court with more voting rights cases to come. This case could ultimately weaken the landmark Voting Rights Act by making it easier for states to defend against claims of racial gerrymandering....

With midterm elections only a few weeks away, political groups on and off campus are working to mobilize student voters — a demographic that saw historic levels of voter turnout in the 2020 election.  Margaret Easley, vice president of Tulane College Democrats, said the group aims to get people registered to vote for upcoming elections and make sure they have all the resources they need. Additionally, College Democrats President Darcy Schleifsteinsaid the group strategizes as to where student votes will count the most.  ...

WASHINGTON — About 100 Louisiana students gathered Tuesday in the plaza in front of the U.S. Supreme Court as the nine justices considered whether Alabama’s congressional election maps meet the standards of the Voting Rights Act — a case that’s nearly identical to one from Louisiana....

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — On Tuesday, The U.S. Supreme Court took up the case of the congressional maps for Alabama, which will have major implications for the Voting Rights Act and Louisiana’s case that awaits a hearing. Advocates rallied at the state capitol to push for a second majority-minority district. The Republican majority of the Louisiana Legislature voted to pass congressional maps that kept only one majority-minority district, anchored both in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The case, if it violated the Voting Rights Act now rests with the U.S. Supreme Court. Advocates at home are continuing their push for the map to be overturned....

ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) – For citizens concerned about rising utility bills, Oct. 4 was the final chance residents could voice their opinions, at the second of two forums hosted by the Alliance of Affordable Energy. The forum gave citizens a chance to learn more about the Public Service Commission, and what role they play in utility rates. The P.S.C. is ultimately responsible for the price of your utility service....

For Immediate Release Baton Rouge, LA–  On Tuesday, October 4, 2022 at 10  a.m. (CST) Power Coalition for Equity and Justice (PCEJ) will take action at the Louisiana State Capitol in solidarity with the plaintiffs of the Alabama redistricting case, Merrill v. Milligan.  PCEJ, a plaintiff in the Robinson v. Ardoin case, will bring buses of people from across the state of Louisiana to learn more about the redistricting happenings that lead up to the case filing and speak to the importance of upholding the Voting Rights act of 1965 and ensuring Black and brown voices are heard and accurately represented. Activists and organizers will speak to the press about the work that has been done and continues to be needed in Louisiana to ensure Black and brown communities have their needs met.  “Our case, Robinson v. Ardoin, is slated to be heard in the Spring 2023, but we’re taking...

Statewide, LA –  Yesterday,  Monday, September 26, 2022, the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice (PCEJ) started an on the ground canvassing initiative in major cities like New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Alexandria and Lake Charles. The campaign is part of a statewide Get Out and Vote (GOTV) strategy currently underway ahead of the November 8, 2022 Primary Congressional election. In the beginning of September, PCEJ onboarded over 100 phone bankers and canvassers statewide to help register voters and educate about key ballot initiatives. ...

For Immediate Release New Orleans, LA–  Yesterday,  Monday, September 26, 2022, the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice (PCEJ) started an on the ground canvassing initiative in major cities like New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Alexandria, and Lake Charles. The campaign is part of a statewide Get Out and Vote (GOTV) strategy currently underway ahead of the November 8, 2022 Primary Congressional election. In the beginning of September, PCEJ onboarded over 100 phone bankers and canvassers statewide to help register voters and educate about key ballot initiatives.  “Across the state there is a lot of voter potential,” said Ashley Shelton, CEO of PCEJ. “We have voters that are either unregistered or not active in every election. Each election matters and every voice matters. Our goal is to continue to engage and activate voters across the state to use their voice so that the true power of Black and brown voters...

International Democracy Day came and went this year with barely a whisper, but a quartet of human rights and community advocates from Alabama and Louisiana took the opportunity to reflect on the challenges to achieving America’s promise of equity and fairness.  Among those challenges are the flurry of adverse rulings in redistricting cases soon to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court....

When the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) passed in 2021, White House officials were explicit: the $350 billion promised by the legislation was to be used by state and local governments to ensure sustainable, equitable, and inclusiverecovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. For communities of color hit hardest by both the pandemic and decades of socioeconomic inequality, it was a chance to build the kind of basic local infrastructure—schools, jobs, and other resources—that build public safety....

International Democracy Day came and went this year with barely a whisper, but a quartet of human rights and community advocates from Alabama and Louisiana took the opportunity to reflect on the challenges to achieving America’s promise of equity and fairness.   Among those challenges are the flurry of adverse rulings in redistricting cases soon to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court....

SHREVEPORT, La. – Candidates for mayor of Shreveport faced off Tuesday night at a candidate forum exchanging ideas about how to drive the city forward. The event held at the Performance Gallery downtown on Commerce Street.  The event was moderated by Willie Burton....

SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) — As election season continues, another mayoral forum took place in downtown Shreveport Tuesday. The crowd was small, and only five mayoral candidates were in attendance....

BATON ROUGE, La. – The Black Southern Women’s Collaborative today celebrated National Voter Registration Day (NVRD), a civic holiday meant to encourage voters to register to vote. The collective, which organizes across the South to improve the material conditions of Black people, pledged to register thousands of voters on NVRD and beyond. They also vowed to address long-standing barriers to the ballot such as felony disenfranchisement, voter purges, and intimidation at the polls. The group released the following statement:...

Voting has been an important aspect of community voices. It wasn’t until the 26th amendment that the minimum voting age for all citizens was 18 years old. This ratification enabled young adults in society to inspire change for newer generations as communities around the world continue to evolve....

Black women are uniquely saddled with student loan debt. by Ashley Shelton in Truthout From record inflation to attacks on reproductive rights, to an unfair and inequitable redistricting, it can feel like all hope has been lost this year. But many voters are not giving up. My state of Louisiana has faced multiple challenges, particularly when it comes to the electoral process. Historically, we have seen literacy tests, brutal attacks on persons seeking to register to vote, the elimination of voting sites, changing polling sites without notification, and other efforts to deny and abridge the right to vote. We have experienced voter suppression in all its forms, including its newest more insidious form, racial and partisan gerrymandering.  In 2022, the Louisiana state legislature drew unfair congressional district lines. Voters, including those reached through my organization, the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, testified throughout this year’s redistricting process, which saw...

“As it has been for generations of Black Americans, freedom is on the ballot, along with the Constitutional rights that define our citizenship,” said BlackPac’s Executive Director Adrianne Shropshire....

The briefing also comes a week before National Voter Registration Day, which is held annually on Sept. 20. Alabama Values and Spotlight PR LLC are scheduled to host a media briefing discussing “the state of democracy in the U.S” this upcoming Thursday, according to a release sent on Monday. The meeting is planned to coincide with the International Day of Democracy: a day put aside by the United Nations General Assembly in November of 2017 in an effort “to promote and consolidate new or restored democracies” globally, according to the resolution. The briefing also comes a week before National Voter Registration Day, which is held annually on Sept. 20....

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) – The NWLA Makerspace and creative group 318 Makes is inviting the public to bring their families to enjoy its Family Fun Block Party. The party begins on Sept 24, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for a morning filled with music, family, food, and fun for all ages.  These events are to be held on one Saturday every month with special activities....

Increases in voter registration in women were noticed nationally, following the Supreme Court ruling on abortion...

For Immediate Release Shreveport, LA– The Power Coalition for Equity and Justice (PCEJ) is gearing up for the November 8, 2022 Primary Congressional election with a number of events aimed at engaging and registering voters throughout north Louisiana. In 2019, Black voters in Caddo Parish used only 35% of Black voter potential. PCEJ’s data shows while there are over 100,000 registered Black voters in Caddo Parish, only 35,000 turned out to vote. A series of things impacted voter turnout during 2019, including rising rates of COVID. With more of the population vaccinated and lower rates of COVID cases, Power Coalition plans to continue tackling voter engagement in Black and brown communities through in-person candidate forums, listening sessions, and voter registration opportunities.  “Every election gains more importance as we work to move Shreveport forward. In this election, citizens of Louisiana have the opportunity to amend the Louisiana Constitution and say that...

Youth justice advocates are asking Louisiana residents to sign a petition to demand that Governor Edwards not move youth to Angola....

Black women are uniquely saddled with student loan debt. by Ashley Shelton in NewsOne President Joe Biden recently announced plans to cancel up to $10,000 in federal student loan debt per borrower and up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients. The plan applies to most individuals earning less than $125,000 per year or couples earning less than $250,000 per year. As a Black woman, Black mother, organizer and convenor in the south, I celebrate this moment, while also committing to continued advocacy to address the student loan crisis. In fact, I must. Black women are uniquely saddled with student loan debt. Black women experience intersecting oppressions of gender and race which means we are particularly impacted by student loan debt. On the one hand, we are encouraged to acquire as much education as possible to ensure an upward trajectory. We are told that with more experience, or one more degree, we’ll be more marketable...

Imagine waking up every day to the smell of sulfur dioxide, gas fumes and other foul-smelling chemicals. Even if you don’t live near gas export terminals on the Gulf Coast, you know the air must smell bad. Imagine your children are constantly breathing these chemicals and your elders have among the highest incidence of cancer in the nation. Now imagine that you also hear daily sirens warning of gas leaks and potential catastrophic explosions. What you’ve imagined — this is the reality for Gulf Coast communities....

The state’s three juvenile detention centers, Bridge City, Monroe and Bunkie, have all suffered from chaotic violence and severe understaffing in recent months. On August 8th, youth justice advocates held a press conference outside of the Angola State Penitentiary in Lousiana in protest of the decision to move juvenile inmates into the facility. Dubbed “the bloodiest prison in the South,” Angola, the largest maximum security prison in the U.S. is notorious for its horrific violence. Since 1992, over 1,300 vicious assaults have occurred at the facility between inmates and staff....

Ashley Shelton, Founder, President and CEO of the Power Coalition says many Black women, are disappointed in what’s happened to them since the 2020 Presidential election. Despite, playing a decisive role in the election, they “have less rights than our grandparents had”, says Shelton. But that’s about to change. Podcast page: https://www.podcastone.com/episode/-EP-112–Disheartened-Black-Women-in-the-South-mobilizing-for-change...

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Dozens of advocates will host a press conference to protest the state’s plans to transfer youth inmates to the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola and the Jetson Center for Youth. “We don’t have to do it this way,” Rev. Alexis Anderson from the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison Reform Coalition said. In July, Gov. Edwards announced plans to move about 25 teenagers from the troubled Bridge City Center for Youth after numerous escapes and riots within the past year. Families and Friends of Louisiana’s Incarcerated Children (FFLIC), and several other youth justice groups will protest the state’s plan outside the Jetson prison on Tuesday, Aug. at 11 a.m....

ATLANTA – After a bruising year that saw attacks on reproductive freedom and equitable and fair drawing of district lines, many people are heading into the midterm elections questioning whether voting matters. But advocates with the Black Southern Women’s Collaborative today reminded voters that they cannot cede power to those who wish to deny and abridge the right to vote. The leaders, who played a leading role in redistricting fights in Florida, Louisiana and Georgia, also urged voters to not only commit to vote in the upcoming elections but begin developing a plan to vote. They released the following statement:...

For Immediate Release: Saturday, July 19, 2022 Baton Rouge, LA–  CEO and founder of Power Coalition for Equity and Justice (PCEJ), Ashley Shelton, released the following statement with the amicus brief filing in support of the plaintiffs in the Robinson v. Ardoin case: “Paul Weiss and Southern Coalition for Social Justice submitted an amicus brief on behalf of Power Coalition and the individuals and organizations who serve as plaintiffs in the case, Robinson v. Ardoin. The goal of the brief was to fully explain and break down the ongoing necessity of the Voting Rights Act. We have an opportunity now to fight and ensure we preserve voting rights for everyone and continue to build a multiracial democracy that meets the needs of all American people, but particularly Black Louisianans, who have not had a true voice for too long. The history Louisiana has with suppressing Black voting power continues to...

The Louisiana Department of Health faces backlash over a social media post that included a picture of a local drag queen at a health awareness event in Alexandria as part of LGBTQ Pride Month. The controversy began June 24 when LDH tweeted photos of a “family-friendly Pride event” at the Alexandria Convention Center with a description that said, in part, “Local drag queens entertained the audience while the state Office of Public Health handed out health-related pamphlets and info.” The event also featured music, games, arts and crafts, and vendors. ...

Few people recognize the trauma that can arise from living through a natural disaster that is worsened by climate change and policy inaction....

Jada Gabriel goes grocery shopping for her family of four every two weeks. On her last trip, she noticed the price of butter had increased. “It was normally 98 cents,” said Gabriel, an ophthalmic technician who was on a shopping trip Wednesday at the Hi Nabor Supermarket on Winbourne Avenue. “Now it’s $1.18.”...

Ashley K. Shelton, founder and president of the Power Coalition for Equity & Justice: “This moment is devastating. In a place like Louisiana, where you have the highest rate of maternal mortality in the country, you are literally sentencing Black women to death. Louisiana has a trigger law, and as soon as Roe came down, it automatically made abortion care illegal. This tramples people’s rights, even beyond abortion. This is about privacy, it’s about healthcare, it’s about the criminalization of Black and poor women, and it’s about what happens when a person’s choices are taken away....

June 1 marks the start of hurricane and wildfire season. This is a time when many wait with bated breath, wondering how they will survive another storm even as they have yet to recover from prior weather emergencies. This is the time of year when anxiety kicks into high gear, and when post-traumatic stress disorder can take hold. This is the time of year when one vows to prepare, but limited resources make it impossible to do so....

For Immediate Release: Saturday, June 18, 2022 Baton Rouge, LA–  Yesterday, June 17, 2022, a decision from the 19th Judicial District Court determined the previously ratified nine member plan, SB 22, voted on by the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board (EBRPSB) during the Redistricting Special Meeting to be in violation of Louisiana law. Based on a ruling made by the State District Judge Tarvald Smith, the EBRPSB and the Secretary of State are prohibited from using SB 22 in the upcoming fall elections. The EBRPSB must now choose to use the Ware-Collins 1-11 plan that would expand the number of districts and add a majority-minority district, or meet to submit another plan in accordance with Louisiana law and the Federal Voting Rights Act.  The EBRPSB has until June 22, 2022 at 8:00 a.m. to decide a plan of action either way.  This is a celebrated win for the Power...

A judge in Baton Rouge ruled Friday that new election maps approved last month are illegal and is giving the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board until 8 a.m. Wednesday to come up with new maps — or he will implement a rival set of maps that would likely flip the board’s racial balance to majority-Black....

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A federal judge will redraw the state’s congressional map after state lawmakers abruptly ended a special session two days early. Saturday afternoon members of the Louisiana legislature decided there was no more moving forward with work to redraw the state’s congressional map. Dillard University political analyst Robert Collins says, “I think we were surprised by the abrupt ending because we thought they would at least go through the motions and pretend to follow the judge’s order but no one is surprised by the result.” On June 6, Federal Judge Shelly Dick ordered the special session saying lawmakers needed to add a second majority-black district or else she would redraw the map herself. Just four days into the six-day special session, talks grinded to a halt....

The Black Southern Women’s Collaborative today announced a series of Juneteenth events in Florida, Louisiana, Georgia, and Tennessee. The organization, which includes Black women organizers and executive directors in the South, will register people to vote, host a series of educational events and actions, and talk to communities about the true meaning of liberation. The group released the following statement:...

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***PRESS STATEMENT*** For Immediate Release: Wednesday, June 15, 2022 Baton Rouge, LA–  CEO and founder of Power Coalition for Equity and Justice (PCEJ), Ashley Shelton, released the following statement ahead of the Redistricting Special Session scheduled Today, June 15, 2022: “This moment is an important one for the people of Louisiana. They have been standing up and speaking throughout this process. They ensured representation in the 2020 Census. There was unprecedented participation in the 2021 redistricting process from communities throughout the state. They gave endless testimony at the redistricting roadshows and the redistricting special session. The fight for fair representation in Louisiana has been a journey, but the people have used their voice clearly to demand change. I urge the legislators to do what is right for the people. We know transformational change is a marathon, not a sprint. The people have been patient. The Chief U.S. District Judge Shelly...

 At an Ethnic Media Services briefing, June 3, speakers and moderator ­­– Ashley Shelton, Founder, President, and CEO of the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice (Louisiana); MacKenzie Marcelin, Climate Justice Manager, Florida Rising; Chrishelle Palay, Executive Director of the HOME Coalition in Houston; Daysi Bedolla Sotelo, Senior Strategist for the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (California); and Moderator: Jennifer R. Farmer, Principal, Spotlight PR LLC­ – discussed what they are planning for the current season and what they need government at all levels to do....

The first edition is Tuesday, June 14, from 5 p.m., with guest chef Marcus Jacobs, of Marjie’s Grill and Seafood Sally’s, raising money for the American Civil Liberties Union and the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice....

June 1 marks the start of wildfire and hurricane season. Community activists from Florida to New Jersey, California to Louisiana and Texas, under the banner of Organizing Resilience, for the first time, are working together to pressure elected leaders to address a failed disaster relief system and the PTSD, fear and economic impact that failure has had on their communities. EMS briefing on June 3  discussed what they are planning for the current season and what they need government at all levels to do. Ashley Shelton, Founder, President, and CEO of the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice (Louisiana) said her state has experienced the double whammy of the coronavirus and hurricanes last year. Her Coalition for Equality and Justice works to provide cash assistance to affected families to help them pay rent, utilities, food and more. In addition, the group is actively pushing for legislation to make insurance companies...

Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) – Kids are out on summer break and while some families are focusing on fun in the sun, others may be worrying about where their child’s next meal is coming from. At least one in four children in Louisiana experience food insecurity according to Feeding America. Groups in Calcasieu Parish are working to help. “Due to the increase in this economy and the price of everything going up, you won’t know people’s situation. A lot of people are dealing with hunger and we’re just trying to do our part to make sure people get fed,” volunteer Joshua Lewis said....

SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – On Tuesday, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards called for a special legislative session in Baton Rouge to redraw the state’s congressional district maps before the upcoming election. The governor’s decision comes after a federal judge ruled in favor of a lawsuit claiming the maps do not accurately represent the state’s population....

Federal Court Rules in Favor of Plaintiffs to Block Enacted Congressional Map  For Immediate Release: June 6, 2022 Baton Rouge, LA–  On Monday, June 6, 2022, a decision was made in favor of Black voters to block Louisiana’s enacted congressional map in Robinson v. Ardoin, the case challenging Louisiana’s congressional map in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. As a result of the ruling made by Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick of the Middle District of Louisiana, a new map with two majority-minority districts will need to be drawn for the upcoming elections.   The plaintiffs, Black Louisiana voters, and Louisiana nonprofit organizations that promote civic engagement and social equity, including Power Coalition for Equity and Justice (PCEJ), National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Louisiana State Conference, Press Robinson, Edgar Cage, Dorothy Nairne, Edwin Rene Soule, Alice Washinton, Clee Ernest Lowe, Davante Lewis,...

Louisiana legislators are going to have to return to the drawing board and come up with new maps that allow the possibility of a second minority congressperson to be elected in Louisiana, according to a 151-page ruling Monday by Chief U.S. Middle District of Louisiana Judge Shelly Dick in Baton Rouge. Dick’s ruling enjoined Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin – the defendant in the case – from holding congressional elections under the new map drawn by the GOP lawmakers earlier this year and enacted into law over the governor’s veto in March....

The judge ordered the state’s Republican-controlled Legislature to redraw the map to include a second district that gives Black voters the chance to elect a candidate of their choice. A federal judge ruled on Monday that Louisiana’s new congressional map represented a racial gerrymander and must be redrawn to include a second district that gives Black voters the chance to elect a candidate of their choice. The judge, Shelly D. Dick of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana, ordered the State Legislature to produce a revised map of the state’s six congressional districts by June 20. She also directed the state to extend the filing deadline for House candidates, now set for June 22, to July 8....

Hurricane season has just begun in Louisiana. Activists in several states are “organizing resilience” to prepare their communities and they are pushing officials to fix a disaster relief system which many consider broken. “The one thing that has actually worked in the aftermath of disaster is the community coming together to help each other,” said Ashley K. Shelton, the Founder, President, and CEO of the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice. Shelton does civic engagement work with community organizations and politicians. She is the former Vice President of Programs at the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation....

East Baton Rouge Parish School Board members on Thursday took a deep examination of Superintendent Sito Narcisse’s spending plans for next year, quizzing him and other staff on staff changes, new positions in bilingual education and cutbacks in student transportation. The fallout from the forced reassignment of more than 230 school employees in early May continues. A handful of local activists held a press conference before Thursday night’s board meeting to apply new pressure to the board to reverse Narcisse’s moves....

For Immediate Release: June 2, 2022 Baton Rouge, LA– June 2, 2022, About a dozen or more educators, lawmakers, and activists will meet at the East Baton Rouge (EBR) Parish School Board Office (1050 S Foster Drive) at 4:30 p.m. to hold a press conference before the EBR School Board Meeting at 5 p.m. where the school board will discuss the budget as it relates to teacher cuts and the Comprehensive Staffing Model. People from the community of East Baton Rouge parish have been calling on the local school board to address and rectify the chaos caused by the implementation of the Comprehensive Staffing Model. The school board will also discuss the Pathways to Bright Futures program which will start in Fall 2022. Community members also intend to use this as an opportunity to address this major decision that comes with dire consequences should parents not opt their child out...

In a dramatic turnaround from a month ago, the Jefferson Parish School Board opted Wednesday night to stick with the same nine-district alignment it has had since 2012. Last month, the board indicated — in a narrow 5-4 vote — that it intended to add two seats to the board and possibly double the number of majority-minority districts to four. The vote will have no effect on school attendance zones....

For the past year, Roishetta Ozane has been trying to stop new liquified natural gas, or LNG, export terminals from being built in southwest Louisiana. “We are already inundated with LNG and oil and gas,” said the clean energy organizing director with Healthy Gulf, who lives in the town of Sulphur. “We’re surrounded by it.”...

Louisiana lawmakers have commissioned a task force to study the expansion of voting rights for people with disabilities. House Concurrent Resolution 14, sponsored by Rep. Matthew Willard, D-New Orleans, received final passage Monday with a unanimous vote in the Senate. ...

The Louisiana chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statement after the Louisiana Senate Judiciary C Committee voted to advance HB 37, dangerous permitless carry legislation to remove the state’s permitting requirement for carrying a concealed handgun in public. The vote comes despite fervent opposition from a number of key public safety stakeholders, including law enforcement officers, faith leaders, local leaders, and advocates. ...

By Reggi Marion | BRProud BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – A new grassroots advocacy group, Louisiana Families for Vaccines, is hosting a diverse group of partners, including the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, for a day of action at the Louisiana State Capitol to support evidence-based vaccine policy in the state....

By Seth Freed Wessler | ProPublica A whistleblower says a plan to build a grain elevator on an old plantation would disrupt important historical sites, including possibly unmarked graves of enslaved people, and that her cultural resource management firm tried to bury her findings....

The Jefferson Parish School Board has published four redistricting proposals that the board will take up as it considers a generational shift that could add two new seats to the nine-member board. The four district maps published on the school district’s website include the current nine-member district alignment and three 11-seat options prepared by outside groups. The board is scheduled to vote on the proposals at its June 1 meeting....

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Hairstyles come in all forms and a bill that advanced in the Louisiana legislature on Monday aims to prevent discrimination related to hair-dos. Some people say wearing braids, dreadlocks, cornrows, twists, curls, etc., has caused them to be discriminated against. House Bill 41 by Rep. Candace Newell, D-New Orleans, would prohibit such discrimination....

by Terry Jones for The Advocate Creating a sixth majority-minority district on the East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council could be impossible.  While the city-parish’s racial demographics are pretty much 50/50 when it comes to the Black and White population, demographer Mike Hefner says the parish is still too geographically segregated to create the sixth majority-minority district that could even the power structure for the Black Democrats on the Metro Council going forward. ...

by Ariel Salk for BRPROUD BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — After five long days, arguments have wrapped up at the Middle District Court of Louisiana in the fight to challenge Louisiana’s congressional map. The evidentiary hearing for a preliminary injunction came to an end Friday. Civil rights groups argued the map is in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and that it “severely dilutes Black voting power.”...

For Immediate Release: Monday, May 13, 2022 BATON ROUGE, LA – Today, a five-day evidentiary hearing for a preliminary injunction came to a close in Robinson v. Ardoin, the case challenging Louisiana’s congressional map as a violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. At the hearing, civil rights groups presented their case for enjoining the discriminatory map which severely dilutes Black voting power. Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick of the Middle District of Louisiana will determine whether to block Louisiana’s enacted congressional map from being used in upcoming elections while litigation continues, which would require a new map be drawn that includes two majority-Black districts. On March 30, 2022, the Legal Defense Fund, Inc. (LDF), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), ACLU of Louisiana, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, and Louisiana Lawyers John Adcock and Tracie Washington filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Louisiana State Conference...

by Charles Lussier for The Advocate A challenge to Louisiana’s newly drawn congressional maps opened Monday in federal court, with a coalition of civil rights groups hoping judges will eventually do what legislators wouldn’t: create a second majority-Black district. ...

by Ariel Salk for BRPROUD BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — The next step to challenge Louisiana’s congressional map happened Monday at the Middle District Court of Lousiana.  Civil rights groups are turning to the federal court, in what will be a week-long hearing, to block the congressional maps....

***MEDIA ADVISORY*** For Immediate Release: Monday, May 9, 2022 WHAT: An evidentiary hearing for a preliminary injunction is set to begin in Robinson v. Ardoin, the case challenging Louisiana’s Congressional map as a violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. At the hearing, civil rights groups will present their case for enjoining the discriminatory map which severely dilutes Black voting power. On March 30, 2022, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), ACLU of Louisiana, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, and Louisiana Lawyers John Adcock and Tracie Washington filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Louisiana State Conference of the NAACP, Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, and nine individual voters. The lawsuit was filed immediately after the Louisiana legislature voted on March 30, 2022 to overturn Governor John Bel Edwards’ veto of the Congressional plan passed...

by Paula Jones for BRProud BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – A group of local organizations are planning a Thursday evening rally at the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board (EBR Schools) Office just prior to the Board’s 5 p.m. Public Hearing and Adoption/Ratification meeting. ...

Earth Day has passed but the need to continue the fight for environmental justice remains. We started our organization, the Descendants Project as a way to advance intergenerational healing and promote the flourishing of the Black descendant community in the Louisiana river parishes. Originally, this work was tied to making sure descendants of enslaved people were included in the cultural and historical tourism industries that are popular in our area. However, when the toxic Greenfield Grain Elevator put its sights on our Wallace community, we realized there was no way to address the other tenants of systemic racism without first liberating ourselves from environmental racism. ...

In a seismic shift that will dramatically alter Louisiana’s largest public school system, the Jefferson Parish School Board plans to add two seats to the nine-member body, its first expansion since 1982, in an effort to increase minority representation....

Board is two thirds White, school system one third White by Faimon A. Robers, III for Nola.com The Jefferson School Board has had nine members for more than a generation, but a number of impassioned speakers urged the board Thursday night to redraw its election districts – and perhaps add more – to reflect the parish’s mixed demographics. ...

By Rebecca Santana | AP EDGARD, La. — Descendants of slaves who lived and toiled in southeastern Louisiana won a key ruling Thursday allowing their legal challenge to go forward against a $400 million grain elevator planned along the Mississippi River, although the company behind the project said it would likely appeal....

by Kaitlyn Joshua for the Bayou Progressive In case you hadn’t heard yet, on Thursday, April 7, the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board voted to establish a 9 member plan at the Redistricting Special Meeting. Sure, a 9 member plan would have been an acceptable compromise if said plan resulted in a Black majority, but that was not at all the case with the 9-member map that was ultimately adopted. The plan that was adopted – on a starkly racial line vote – would keep the current number of board members, but would result in transforming the board from 5 likely-white districts and 4 likely-Black districts to effectively 6 likely-white districts and 3 likely-Black districts – in a school district that is more than 71% black, mind you. Considering the demographic shifts over the past decade in the Parish, voting for a map that so blatantly ignores that is an atrocity and is racist...

Baton Rouge, LA– On Thursday, April 21, 2022, Power Coalition for Equity and Justice (PCEJ) will host a Lobby Day and Press Conference at the Louisiana State Capitol. The event will start at 9 a.m. on the steps of the capitol as an opportunity for the community to come out to hold elected officials accountable to their respective communities and learn more about the power PCEJ is building through legislator engagement.  “The Power Coalition and our partners work in communities everyday hearing the challenges they are facing and work with them to exercise their power through democracy,” Janea Jamison, Director of Programs for PCEJ said. “This is the time for supporters and advocates to establish and strengthen relationships with policymakers.” At 12:00 p.m. (CST) PCEJ will host a Press Conference led by PCEJ with words from partner organizations that stand for the people and push for change in carceral justice,...

New Orleans, LA– On Saturday, April 16, 2022 at 12:00 p.m. (CST), Power Coalition for Equity and Justice (PCEJ) in partnership with Bike-N-Vote and Level Up Campaign will host an Early Voting Community Event at Ashe Cultural Arts Center at 1712 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd. New Orleans, LA 70113. In alignment with all of the organization’s missions, the event will be centered around civic engagement for younger generations like Generation Z. Speakers at the event will include local activists: Carlos Pollard Jr., Morgan Walker, and Eyshana Webster. The event will be free and open to the public. As a Get Out and Vote event, community members will be able to register to vote and learn more about what’s on the ballot for New Orleans, particularly the Early Childhood millage proposition. In addition, community members will be able to enjoy festive family-friendly activities like egg dying, Easter Bunny photos, Easter Egg...

Setting up a likely lawsuit, the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board on Thursday voted along racial lines to give preliminary approval to a new election map likely to maintain the status quo of five White and four Black board members, even though the city’s White population has declined and its Black population has grown over the past decade. ...

Baton Rouge, LA– On April 7, 2022, the East Baton Rouge (EBR) School Board met at the School Board Office for a Redistricting Special Meeting to approve a final plan that will be ratified on May 5, 2022 and to go into effect with the November 8, 2022 School Board elections. With the redistricting vote up first on the agenda for the special meeting, things quickly deteriorated as white EBR School Board members ignored recommendations from their own hand-picked demographer and chose to approve a plan that diminishes minority representation.  The redistricting meeting, which was rescheduled due to weather, was well attended by education advocates, stakeholders, and independent redistricting experts who spent months providing input in support of a map proposed by board members Evelyn Ware-Jackson and Dawn Collins. The Ware-Jackson Collins plan would expand the number of districts and add a majority minority district. In a vote five to...

March 30, 2022 – Today, the Louisiana legislature voted to overturn Governor John Bel Edwards’ veto of the Congressional map passed earlier this year, which failed to add a second majority-Black district. In response, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), ACLU of Louisiana, and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP filed a  lawsuit on behalf of the Louisiana State Conference of the NAACP, Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, and individuals Press Robinson, Dorothy Nairne, E. René Soulé, Alice Washington, and Clee Ernest Lowe challenging the map as a violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 Section 2.   “The Congressional map passed by the Louisiana legislature in February rejected basic principles of fairness and equity,” said NAACP Louisiana State Conference President Michael McClanahan. “The legislature knew that they could pass a map that complied with the Voting Rights Act and honored...

Only a couple of hours after the Louisiana Legislature voted to override Gov. John Bel Edwards’ veto of a congressional map that didn’t expand minority representation, a lawsuit has been filed that claims the map violates federal law....

For Immediate Release: March 18, 2022  New Orleans, LA– On Monday, March 21, 2022 at 11:30 a.m. (CST), Power Coalition for Equity and Justice (PCEJ) will host a Press Conference Webinar releasing the 2021 Annual Report: Power Building Activate. The conference will open with comments from PCEJ founder and CEO, Ashley Shelton. PCEJ partners will discuss highlights from the year-in-review. The panel will include Jared Evans (NAACP LDF), Norris Henderson (VOTE), Susana Raquel Berger (Made to Save), and Roishetta Ozane (The Vessel Project).  In 2021, PCEJ made over 3.6 million contacts to people around the state through phone calls, text messages, door-to-door canvassing, and social media content. This outreach supported a full slate of community outreach programs.  PCEJ, along with executive partners, engaged in the three legislative sessions advocating for democracy, expanding legislation and policies centered in equity and supporting communities of color. PCEJ educated the community on multiple democracy...

For Immediate Release: March 15, 2022  Today, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), ACLU of Louisiana, and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP filed a federal lawsuit challenging Louisiana’s congressional map. Filed on behalf of the Louisiana State Conference of the NAACP, Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, and individuals Dorothy Nairne, E. René Soulé, Alice Washington, and Clee Ernest Lowe, the lawsuit alleges that Governor John Bel Edwards’ veto of the congressional redistricting plan passed by the Louisiana State Legislature leaves in place a decade old map that, because of shifts in the state’s population, now violates the United State Constitution. The governor vetoed the plan passed by the legislature because it violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) and dilutes the votes of Black Louisianans. During the redistricting session, the groups submitted several maps for...

The lawful and efficient exercise of Democracy in the United States depends on voters being able to freely choose their leaders. In spite of that ideal, every ten years we subvert that process and instead allow leaders to choose their voters. We call this process Redistricting. Parts of this process are necessary and proper. It is necessary every ten years to take Census data and re-balance voting populations so that districts have roughly equal populations. ...

On this day, 57 years ago, March 7, 1965, activists endured attacks and abuse crossing the Edmund Pettus bridge to demonstrate for equal voting rights. Their sacrifice and valiant efforts led to passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which guaranteed the right to vote for all Americans, regardless of their color of their skin....

Dear Governor Edwards, On behalf of the below signatories, we write to thank you for doing what is right and fair by vetoing the racially discriminatory and illegal Congressional map passed by the state legislature. By failing to pass maps that increase representation for Black Louisianians and other communities of color, the Legislature ignored the law, the Census numbers, and the will of thousands of community members who made their voices heard during the redistricting process. Your veto was necessary to ensure the Congressional districts in place for the next decade reflect Louisiana’s vibrant and diverse communities and uphold the principles of a fair, inclusive, and representative democracy. The math is clear. According to the most recent Census, over the past 10 years, Louisiana’s Black population increased while the white population decreased. Though Louisiana’s voting population is 1/3 Black, the Congressional map passed by the Legislature only provided an opportunity...

For Immediate Release: March 11, 2022  Baton Rouge, LA– Wednesday evening, Governor John Bel Edwards announced the decision to veto the congressional redistricting map drawn by the Louisiana Legislature. Gov. Edwards stated the map did not add a second majority-minority district and did not meet federal law compliance requirements.  “I thank Governor Edwards for listening and taking a stand with the thousands of Louisianians that came out and participated in the entire redistricting process,” says Ashley Shelton, CEO of Power Coalition for Equity and Justice. “Countless voters engaged around redistricting, sharing extensive testimony on the importance of fair and equitable representation and the need for an additional majority-minority district given that 33 percent of the state’s population is Black. You [the people] helped us see this moment, and while it is a moment to celebrate we also know the fight is not over yet.” Power Coalition for Equity and Justice...