Black Political Power At Stake During Mass Redistricting Process
As the battle for voting rights surges across the nation, the contest for electoral justice in Massachusetts is reaching a high pitch. This year alone, nearly four hundreds bills have been filed in approximately 38 states that could effectively suppress the vote in states that range from Georgia to Texas. Late last month U.S. Senate republicans rebuffed efforts among democrats to pass a popular and expansive voters rights measure, called the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, that would have put the federal government in charge of elections.
Against the backdrop of the republican-led voter suppression campaign, states are now delving into redistricting policy making, a reapportionment task required every 10 years in the aftermath of the federal census. Redistricting is supposed to guarantee that political districts — those that relate to congressional seats to city council elections — are drawn to roughly equal population sizes. The redistricting process is also undertaken to ensure election protection for historically disenfranchised voters, namely Blacks.
In Boston, much is at stake this redistricting cycle. Boston has not had an African-American in the state senate, since the political career of Dianne Wilkerson ended more than a decade ago. Prior to her resignation — and the election of State Senator Sonia…
