WASHINGTON — Living in North Baton Rouge is like being on the wrong side of the tracks, Martha Davis said. There are potholes everywhere that make you feel as if you’re driving on a washboard, southeastern Louisiana residents are still reeling from the loss of medical facilities, and the area has some of the lowest-performing […]
Voting
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Voting
Why Voting Is Becoming Harder for Black Americans in Southern States
Rod Sias remembers how deeply hurt he was when Louisiana lost its second majority-Black congressional district in the 1990s. Because of a federal court ruling, the 56-year-old Opelousas resident said, Black Louisianans were denied an opportunity to elect another U.S. representative who might advocate for them in Congress. Cleo Fields, the representative who had been […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Voting
Black Voters ‘Finally’ Get Win After Federal Judge Strikes Down Mississippi Map
In Dyamone White’s rural Mississippi town, churches long served as the gathering spot for community events. As a millennial, she recognized the need to bring those events elsewhere as a way to increase civic engagement and host important community discussions. Over the years, she’s seen the participation grow in Edwards and Bolton, towns near her […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Voting
Texas Rep. Stays Overnight in Chamber to Oppose Map She Says Hurts Black, Latino Voters
The redistricting battle in Texas has taken a turn. After state House Democrats returned from their walkout, they were informed on Monday that they would need a police escort when they leave the chamber floor in order to prevent them from fleeing the state again before the House reconvenes on Wednesday. State Rep. Nicole Collier, […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Voting
The Voting Rights Act Turns 60. Its Future Has Never Looked More Fragile.
Khadidah Stone will never forget the day in 2023 she learned that the U.S. Supreme Court upheld voting rights in her home state of Alabama. She was in a store when her phone buzzed, flooded with messages. “I was standing in the aisle crying,” she recalled. “And the guy at the front of the store […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Voting
Vibe Check: What Every Black Voter Should Know for Election Day
Election Day is here. For some voters, it’s already a nightmare. Shantae Martin is a lifelong Virginian who cast her first ballot for Barack Obama. But the 37-year-old recently found out through a notice in the mail that her voter registration had been canceled, supposedly because she’s a noncitizen. “I was confused, to be honest. […]
Posted inHBCUs, Partner Content, Voting
Harris and Trump Want Young Black Votes. Here’s What HBCU Students Want in a President.
Originally published by Open Campus. In a few days, voters will decide who becomes the nation’s next president. There’s been much speculation about whether Vice President Kamala Harris’ identity as a Howard University alumna will result in support at the polls from students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Both Harris and her opponent, […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Voting
Defying Intimidation, Black Voters in Arizona Head to the Polls
PHOENIX — Arizona and its biggest city, Phoenix, can be intimidating places to voice political opinions if you don’t subscribe to MAGA Republicanism. Since the 2020 election — and as recently as this summer — white Republican elected officials who have refused to buy into the false claim that former President Donald Trump won the […]
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy, Rural Issues, Voting
The Powerful, Unsung Role Black Rural Voters Can Play in Our Elections
For years, Garrett Snuggs questioned why the predominantly white town council of Wadesboro, North Carolina, didn’t reflect its population — 69% of which is Black. In the rural town of 5,000, about 52 miles away from Charlotte, he noticed that many Black folks, particularly youth and men, were disengaged from the political process. That changed […]
Posted inExtreme Weather, Politics & Policy, Voting
Hurricane Helene’s Black Survivors Face Floods, Disinformation, and a Threat to Their Vote
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Robert Thomas’ home is still standing after the coffee-colored floodwaters of Hurricane Helene rushed through his community, but everything that made up his life has been swept away. Thirteen days after Helene first made landfall in the U.S., it is known that at least 230 people died during the storm’s surge, with […]