(BPRW) Urban League Leaders Demand a Halt to Weaponozation of Racial Gerrymandering in Texas

(Black PR Wire) New York, Austin, and Houston — As Texas lawmakers reconvene for a special legislative session to redraw congressional maps, the leaders of the National Urban League, the Austin Area Urban League and the Houston Area Urban League are sounding the alarm on the continued weaponization of redistricting to dilute Black political power.

National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial, Austin Area Urban League President and CEO Quincy Dunlap, and Houston Area Urban League President and CEO Judson W. Robinson III issued the following statement:

“The Supreme Court’s decision in Allen v. Milligan reaffirmed that states must protect communities of color from racially discriminatory maps. Texas, however, continues a decades-long pattern of violating the Voting Rights Act.

“Texas is home to the largest Black population of any U.S. state, with non-Hispanic Blacks comprising nearly 12% of the population and contributing 14% of the state’s growth between 2010 and 2020. Yet, the maps passed in 2021 — and the newly proposed revisions — fail to reflect this demographic reality, instead ‘cracking’ Black communities among majority-white districts or ‘packing’ them into just a few districts to limit their impact elsewhere.”

The leaders called on Texas lawmakers to:

• Establish an Independent Redistricting Commission

  Remove map-drawing power from partisan legislators and adopt a nonpartisan model used successfully in California, Michigan, and Colorado. Select commission members from nonpartisan community based organization that represent a diverse cross section of voting member representation at equilibrium.  

• Pass a State-Level Voting Rights Act

  Require racial impact analyses and prohibit maps that dilute the voting strength of communities of color.

• Mandate Transparency and Public Input

  Ensure accessible public hearings and publish proposed maps with clear justifications, in a timely manner, without exclusion, secrecy and under nonpartisanship.   

• Use Race-Conscious, Community-Focused Criteria

Prioritize preserving communities of interest and complying with the Voting Rights Act.

• Hold Legislators Accountable

Enforce penalties for intentional racial/ethnic gerrymandering, partisanships and allow expedited judicial review.

“When lawmakers draw lines that silence Black voices, they violate not only the Voting Rights Act but the moral fabric of our democracy. Fair redistricting is not just a legal obligation — it is a moral imperative.”