Cliff Albright and LaTosha Brown, co-founders of Black Voters Matter and April England-Albright, National Legal Director of Black Voters Matter, issued the following statement in response to a federal judge’s ruling that Georgia’s congressional and state legislative maps must be redrawn:
“We applaud US District Judge Steve Jones for holding Georgia’s legislature responsible for violating the Voting Rights Act and suppressing the vote of so many Black voters in recent years throughout the state of Georgia. After countless attempts to restructure, reassemble and diminish the power of the Black vote in Georgia, the state’s legislature must now draw new political maps ahead of the 2024 election, which would need to include equal representation across every local and federal level of government, including one additional majority-Black congressional district, two additional majority-Black state Senate districts and five additional majority-Black state House districts. This ruling is a testament to the organizing power of the people of Georgia and a reminder that Black voters must hold onto hope and the belief that our democracy is worth fighting for.
“The history of the Voting Rights Act teaches us monumental victories are not won overnight, but rather that long-standing victories take investment, community building, the sharing of facts over fiction, and often legal action. While there are still challenges we may face ahead, including efforts from the GOP to resist or appeal this ruling in the 11th Circuit Court, we celebrate the progress made this week while remaining vigilant in ensuring fair maps are a reality in 2024.
“At Black Voters Matter, we remain dedicated to expanding Black voter engagement and increasing progressive power through movement-building and engagement. We are proud to stand with a number of advocacy, political and faith-based organizations who believe in this fight. We are committed to the dismantling of barriers to the voting booth and we will continue to fight for Black lives and families, We Won’t Black Down.”
