OPINION: Black Mississippians gear-up against racially-motivated gerrymandering efforts

By Ivory Phillips

JA Contributing Editor

Last week, African American political leaders and organizers staged several major events designed to prepare for and counteract efforts by state Republican leaders to re-draw congressional, supreme court and legislative districts. Normally, such re-districting efforts occur every 10 years, following the new census, which reflect population changes. In this case, however, the move to re-apportion or re-district in Mississippi followed the United States Supreme Court decision in the case of Louisiana vs. Callais.

That decision basically holds that race, as in the case of racial discrimination or Black voting strength, need not play a role in re-districting efforts. Hearing this, led by the Donald Trump-dominated Republican party, white supremacists began calling for re-districting across the old Confederacy. Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Arkansas, South Carolina, and others are on the march in that effort. Texas had already gone down that path. 

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves announced the day after the Callais decision that he was calling a special session for May 20, in order to deal with re-districting. At that point, African American leaders and organizers began planning a major response including a series of townhall meetings and a “Mississippi Fights Back” rally.

Although there have been townhall meetings and assemblies in other parts of the state, one of the largest was held May 18 at Pearl Street AME Church in Jackson. Upward of 500 people attended that Monday evening meeting which featured Congressman Bennie Thompson, who has become the focal point of the re-districting effort according to the rhetoric from the likes of Reeves and State Auditor Shad White.

During the course of that meeting, several lawyers offered explanations of the Callais decision and its potential impacts. Among the impacts is that the burden of proof in voting rights cases includes “the showing an intent to discriminate, not just a history of or a racially discriminatory outcome.” A second potential impact is that this decision allows partisan gerrymandering. A third and even further negative impact is that, in the opinion of one of the attorneys, nothing can be done because the Supreme Court based its decision on the Constitution rather than on any statutory law. Others, however, disagree since apparently the dissenting justices differed with the majority opinion; since some cases in the past have been reversed, utilizing revised arguments; and since it is always possible to amend the Constitution.

In his call to action, Congressman Thompson commented on Governor Reeves’ reference to his tenure in Congress as “a reign of terror,” revealing the attitude of such Republican leaders and how they are at war with non-white and working-class people. Thompson, more than any other member of the Mississippi delegation, has championed legislation providing assistance with food, housing, health care, education, and other human needs, with just 10% going to his district and none of the credit being given to him. 

Thompson also noted the negative perception and role of many white, so-called evangelical Christians in Black oppression. In a vigorous question-answer session which followed, issues including taxation without representation, the possible scope of Mississippi’s gerrymandering efforts, and the need for addition voter education as well as political participation were covered.

On May 20th, the day on which the governor had originally planned to call a special session of the legislature to re-draw the state’s Supreme Court districts, more than 40 civil rights and human rights groups and their supporters staged a rally at the Jackson Convention Center. The rally drew a crowd of nearly 4,500 people. It was preceded by a news conference at the War Memorial Building and a march to the convention center.

The rally was very lively and upbeat. The two-hour rally drew people from every section of Mississippi as well as from Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Washington, Georgia, Texas, Michigan, and Illinois. It covered many of the topics and much of the same history as had the Pearl Street Church townhall meeting.  

Derrick Johnson, of the national NAACP, challenged the crowd to become “not just activists, but organizers.” State NAACP president Charles Taylor iterated that “today’s rally is only the beginning,” as we take on the new Mississippi Plan, patterned after the Mississippi Plan from 1875.” So went the rally, as more than a dozen speakers, including news personality Eddie Glaude Jr., sought to inspire the crowd.

At 6 pm on that same day, a follow-up “strategy session” was held at Mount Helm Baptist Church. At that session, Rev. C.J. Rhodes presided as Dr. D’Andra Orey related the struggle for Black voting rights and political representation from slavery through the passage of the Voting Rights Act. Attorney Carroll Rhodes related the legal struggle to have the rights fully respected and implemented from the 1960s to the Callais decision. Mississippi’s SPLC Waikinya Clanton emphasized political education and mobilization to promote and protect voting rights. Particularly noticeable during the question/answer session were comments from younger members of the audience, citing a need for more activities involving schools and economic development.

With promises of more to come, it is fair to say many Black Mississippians are gearing-up for the racially-motivated gerrymandering efforts coming from the state’s Republican leaders.