Dream.Org Condemns Supreme Court Ruling Stripping Voting Power From Black Communities
Contact:
Rachael Payton, Senior Director of Communications and Marketing
rachael.payton@dream.org
(571) 383-6215
6-3 decision guts Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, making it nearly impossible to challenge racially discriminatory maps
Washington, DC – Yesterday, the Supreme Court voted 6-3 to weaken the Voting Rights Act, the landmark 1965 law that protects Americans from discrimination at the ballot box. The ruling, written by Justice Samuel Alito, now makes it nearly impossible for voters to challenge electoral maps that are drawn to reduce the political power of Black communities and other communities of color.
This ruling targets Louisiana, a state where Black residents make up only 32% of the state population but account for 66% of the prison population. Louisiana has one of the highest known incarceration rates in the world. Communities along Cancer Alley — the corridor of petrochemical plants stretching along the lower Mississippi River — are home to predominantly Black residents who face cancer risks from air pollution that are nearly 50 times the national average. These are communities that have been over-policed, over-incarcerated, and over-polluted for generations. Yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled that they should also be underrepresented.
Dream.Org Chief Advocacy Officer Janos Marton issued the following statement:
"Dream.Org is committed to common ground and we will work with anyone who wants to build a future that works for everyone. But common ground requires a democratic system where people can have their voices heard, not stripping voting power away from Americans who have fought, bled and died for their right to be equitably represented. The communities at the center of this ruling are the same communities fighting for clean air, fighting to reduce recidivism, and fighting for better economic opportunities. Silencing their vote does not make America safer or stronger. It makes our shared problems harder to solve and the solutions harder to reach."
The ruling will allow states to draw maps that dilute the political power of Black voters and other communities of color as long as those maps do not overtly state a discriminatory intent. In practice, this means that some of the most over-burdened communities in the country will have less political recourse to fight back against the policies that harm them — from prison expansion to industrial pollution to economic disinvestment.
Dream.Org will continue to stand with the leaders, advocates, and communities fighting to protect the right to vote and the right to be heard.
About Dream.Org
Dream.Org is a national nonprofit that closes prison doors and opens doors of opportunity. We unite unlikely allies across Green For All, Justice For All, and Tech For All to tackle poverty, prisons, pollution, and polarization. Our mission is to use common ground to build safer, healthier communities where second chances are real, green jobs are accessible, and the American dream belongs to everyone.
###
