NC NAACP Issues Initial Challenge to Racially-Motivated Regressive State-Wide Redistricting Maps of Extremists

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 27, 2011

For More Information:   Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President, 919-394-8137

                                      Mrs. Amina Turner, Executive Director, 919-682-4700

                                      Atty. Jennifer Marsh, Legal Redress Coordinator, 919-682-4700

                                      Atty. Irv Joyner, Legal Redress Chair, 919-530-6293

NC NAACP Issues Initial Challenge to Racially-Motivated Regressive State-Wide Redistricting Maps of Extremists

The NC NAACP submitted a Comment Letter on Thursday, October 14, 2011, to the U.S. Department of Justice urging the government not to preclear the regressive state-wide redistricting maps approved by the ultra-conservative Republican led majority of the General Assembly. The NAACP Comment Letter declared the State's submissions demonstrate that each redistricting plan was racially motivated and in violation of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Based upon the public records from hearings and committee meetings, it will be impossible for the State to disprove the unlawful racial motivation and animus or that the plans will not negatively and unlawfully impact minority communities.

These maps show extreme racial motivation. The race-based maps that were rammed through the State legislature this summer by right-wing extremists pack 48% of all North Carolina African American voters into just three U.S. House Districts. They try to pack 52% of all Black voters into just 27 of the 120 State House Districts. Their aim is to pack 47% of all African American voters into just 10 State Senate Districts. Their maps intentionally split voting districts to bleach out African Americans and other minorities from some, and reassign Black voters to others that already have high minority representation. Their intent is self-evident: to undermine the ability of minorities to elect candidates of their choice and have influence across the state. Their maps snatched Black voters from counties covered by Section 5 in the First Congressional District, where they only recently won the ability to elect a representative of their choice. These and other strong criticisms of the extremists' race-based maps were included in the NC NAACP's Comment Letter submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice earlier this month.

The 102-year-old civil rights organization is the largest civil rights group in North Carolina, composed of more than 20,000 Black, White, Native American and Latino residents dedicated to eliminating racism from the social and political fabric of our society. The NAACP Comment Letter urged the U.S. Government to reject the extremists' race-based districts. Each of their plans were racially motivated, the NAACP told the U.S. agency that monitors minority voting rights, particularly in the southern states where, through violence and trickery, right wing extremists kept the great majority of Black people from voting at all until the late 1960's.

"We will carefully watch and vigorously defend the principles and intent of the Voting Rights Act, our rights under the 15th Amendment of the US Constitution, and our rights under the North Carolina Constitution to make sure the clock on civil rights is not turned back and our state pursues a course that provides justice for all," stated Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, NC NAACP State Conference President and National NAACP Board Member.

"We are concerned that these proposed districts are being developed in a manner that have the intent, purpose and effect of segregating minority voters in non-cohesive and competing communities of interest and illegally pack and stack minorities into a few 'set-aside' districts which will weaken the minority voice and political influence across the State," said Professor Irving Joyner, NC NAACP Legal Redress Chair.

Veteran civil rights lawyer Al McSurely says these efforts represent a clear strategy. "Extreme right wing ideologues have temporarily, we hope, seized the once proud Republican Party of North Carolina. Their aim is clear: to dilute and suppress Black and Brown voters. They have a fist full of bills and redistricting schemes emailed to Raleigh from Americans For Prosperity and other national fountainheads of right-wing policies. Their boiler-plate bills are cleverly designed to divide and distract the 99% of God's Human Family, so we spend all our time fighting among ourselves for crumbs, while the remaining one percent of millionaires continue to multiply their money and laugh all the way to their banks. These bills have been introduced in many poor southern states as a frontal attack on human and voting rights. Their collective aim is to disenfranchise the poor, the elderly, and racial minorities. They want the least of these to wait in line to get a photo voter ID. They rammed through local bills to undermine African American voting strength. They want to reduce early voting periods, eliminate same-day registration, and do away with straight ticket voting."

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