Louisiana's Supreme Court has been in a non-stop battle of the newly drawn maps for congressional districts. The original map (as seen in the left image) has been criticized by politicians and citizens calling it, racist gerrymandering.
Back in 2022 a federal judge ruled for a new congressional map that represents Black voters better. The original map grouped the majority of Louisiana's Black population (which is largely concentrated in the New Orleans area) which diluted the power of this district.
In response to the ruling of the federal judge, legislature began to redraw the districts. The intention of this redraw was to give a voice to the 1/3 Black population Louisiana occupies. This led to a new map (displayed in the right image). It is clear that not much changed from this redraw, but it is step forward. This new map gives proper representation to the densely populated Black population doubling their democratic districts from 1 to 2.
When it comes to system racism and changing it, it is easy to have the 'beggars cannot be choosers' mentality but it is important to fight for what is deserved. By using social media, awareness can spread to the issue of this redraw. Continuing to condemn gerrymandering and not taking less than what is deserved is better than letting legislatures sweep the issue under the rug.
The process of getting this new map is still in the works of being approved but is in a rush to be done before the 2024 presidential election. The involvement of the judiciary, combined with public scrutiny and engagement, signifies a commitment to breaking away from past practices that perpetuated unfair representation. It is crucial for Louisianans to call their legislature and congressmen to push for more representation and continue to combat gerrymandering in the state to uphold the integrity of democracy in the state.
