BLACK TUSCALOOSA VOTERS MATTER: Tell the Tuscaloosa City Council to Create 4 Minority Majority Council Districts
Tuscaloosa City Council: Councilor Matthew Wilson, Councilor Raeven Howard, Councilor Norman Crow, Councilor Lee Busby, Councilor Kip Tyner, Councilor John Faile, Councilor Cassius Lanier
The City Council is currently drawing a new map for the seven City Council districts in the city. The map currently proposed is racially gerrymandered and suppresses Black voters in Tuscaloosa, which is why we are urging the City Council to draw a map that has 4 minority majority districts and pass it.
Tuscaloosa is a majority-minority city, which means there are more non-white residents (52%) than white residents. The proposed map packs Black voters into a majority in only 3 districts (D1, D2, D7). But according to the current census count, there should be 4 Black majority districts in Tuscaloosa. It does this by packing Black voters into District 7 (73% Black residents) to keep them out of District 6 (41% Black residents). The lines between D7 and D6 can be drawn to unpack D7 and make D6 a minority majority district. For the city council districts to be fair, Black residents should have an opportunity to elect the candidate of their choosing to 4 of the 7 City Council seats, which is supported by the 2020 census count. The redistricting map proposed by the city ignores the population growth of its non-white residents.
The racially gerrymandered map not only suppresses Black voters by limiting Black majorities to three districts, it also limits the amount of funds Black communities have access to from the City Council. All of the Black residents packed into D7 have to share the funds allocated to their district. If these Black residents were properly distributed between D7 and D6, Black communities would have access to the district funds of both of those districts.
For example, Tuscaloosa Action sponsored a community drawn map that creates 4 minority majority districts.
This TA sponsored map proves it is possible to have a fair map with 4 Black majority districts that accurately represents the diversity and growth of our city. Tuscaloosa, the time is now to ensure that every vote counts.
Sponsored by
To:
Tuscaloosa City Council: Councilor Matthew Wilson, Councilor Raeven Howard, Councilor Norman Crow, Councilor Lee Busby, Councilor Kip Tyner, Councilor John Faile, Councilor Cassius Lanier
From:
[Your Name]
Dear Councilors,
We, a group of concerned residents of Tuscaloosa, are calling on you to draw a City Council redistricting map that has 4 minority majority districts. The maps proposed by the Mayor's office and put together by the council only have three minority majority districts: D1, D2, D7. District 7, in fact, is racially gerrymandered and is drawn so that it packs Black residents into District 7 and keeps them out of nearby District 6. This line should be redrawn so that District 6 and District 7 are both minority majority districts.
We are demanding a fair map, like the one sponsored by Tuscaloosa Action, that creates 4 minority majority districts.
There are several reasons why a fair map must have four minority majority districts:
1. Tuscaloosa is a minority majority city. Over 52% of Tuscaloosa residents are racial minorities. Only 47% of city residents are white. There should therefore be a majority of minority district seats on the City Council.
2. It is required by federal law. The Votings Rights Act requires governments to draw as many "minority opportunity" (that is, minority majority) districts as possible. It is possible to draw four minority majority districts, so by law you have to. Failing to do so leaves the City open to a lawsuit, similar to the recent decision against the State of Alabama's redistricting map.
3. It is time to stop the suppression of Black voters in Tuscaloosa. The current district map and the maps proposed by the mayor and council all suppress Black voters by packing them into three districts and not creating a fourth minority majority district.
We, the undersigned, ask you to pass a redistricting map that creates a fourth minority majority district by unpacking Black residents in District 7 and making District 6 a minority majority district.