NC NAACP Statement Regarding Congressional Redistricting Maps

For Immediate Release

July 1, 2011

Contact: Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, President, 919-394-8137

Amina Turner, Executive Director, 919-682-4700

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

Atty. Irving Joyner, Legal Redress Chair, ijoyner@nccu.edu

NC NAACP: Partisan Gerrymandering and a Negative Impact on

Section 5 Counties in the Congressional Maps

Earlier today, the Republican-led majority of the General Assembly released a draft of the proposed congressional districts based on data from the 2010 Census. After a preliminary review of these proposed districts, the NC NAACP continues to have serious concerns about the results of their efforts and the process in which they were developed. A full analysis of the map will be released next week.

"An initial review reveals partisan gerrymandering in the districts on the Rucho-Lewis Map," said Professor Irving Joyner. "Currently, our state is fairly balanced in Congressional representation. However, this map creates three Democratic districts and ten Republican districts."

"Another major concern is that five counties covered by Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act are being removed from the 1st Congressional District," said Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, NC NAACP State Conference President. "In the heavily African-American area of Eastern North Carolina, this district was developed intentionally to overcome years of disenfranchisement and voter exclusion."

The five counties removed from District 1 are Gates, Washington, Beaufort, Craven, and Wayne. This change dilutes the voting power of these Section 5 counties to elect a congressional representative of their choice.

"The ultra-conservative, right-wing Republican leadership cannot use this map to claim they are concerned about African-American and minority political power and upholding civil rights," said Rev. Barber. "Once again the extremists in the General Assembly have used their power to continue a frontal attack on civil rights and voting rights. We will carefully watch and vigorously defend the principles and intent of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and our rights under the 15th Amendment of the US Constitution. No matter who is in office, we cannot allow North Carolina to turn back the clock on civil rights and veer off a course that would provide equal representation for all."

The NC NAACP will release a statement on the map next week after a full analysis of its impact is complete.

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Racist Tricks of Extreme Ultra-Conservative Republican Tea Party

Immediate Release

5 May 2011

Contact:  Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President, 919-394-8137

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

                Atty.  Al McSurely, Communications Chair, lawyers@mcsurely.com

RE-SEGREGATE THE BLACK VOTE

Racist Tricks of Extreme Ultra-Conservative Republican Tea Party

Politicians Exposed

"The extreme right-wing, ultra-conservative tea party that has apparently captured the North Carolina Republican Party has gotten so cocky, it now brags in public about its plans to use tactics rooted in racism and political segregation in order to gain and control political power," said Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President of the NC NAACP. Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), recently bragged to the Washington media:

"It's politically probable that there will be a new minority influence district.  Republicans should pick up three seats under any fair and legal [redistricting] map. That is huge. No other state in the nation would gain as many Republican seats. This would be in a state that Barack Obama won in 2008 and where we have had a Democratic governor since 1992 - the longest such period in the nation. A 9-4 [Republican majority] delegation is pretty good and would attempt to avoid the risk of a bad year for Republicans. Clearly, Reps. Kissell and Miller are serving their final term."

"Let us look at the racist implications of McHenry's statement," Rev. Barber said. "When he says 'minority influence district' he means the tea party wants to draw new lines around Black areas, and lump us all into a third segregated voting District. Their aim is to remove progressive black voters out of surrounding areas, where we can create a strong voting majority with the growing number of white and brown progressives to get our anti-racism, anti-poverty agenda passed.  McHenry and the extreme ultra-conservative Tea Party Republicans want to defeat our progressive agenda, and take us back to their good old days.  John Tedesco wants to keep us in our 'neighborhoods.'  Ron Margiotta wants to keep 'the animals' in our 'cages.'  McHenry wants to resegregate our voting districts so the tea party can win 9 out of 13 of North Carolina's congressional seats and pass their regressive agenda.

"In 1898, the racist red shirts murdered scores of Black people who had created a fusion alliance with progressive white people in Wilmington and were building a world-class port city.

For the next 67 years, the red shirts, with their white friends in high places, disenfranchised one-third of Southern voters--all of us with black skins.  In 1965, after many courageous anti-racism fighters--Black and White and Jewish--were murdered, beaten and jailed, the Congress passed the Voting Rights Act.  This set the stage for the long struggle to insure the safety and protection of our voting rights.  Five years ago, Congress found that white supremacists still use voter suppression and dilution tricks, and re-authorized the VRA for another 25 years.  Now, the virtually all-white tea party ultra-conservative wing of the Republican Party is trying an end run of the VRA.  The NAACP will continue to fight to guarantee the right of every voter of color to cast her ballot against the tricks of the tea party and, at the same time, build a new progressive fusion alliance that can usher in a society of human beings of all colors, a beautiful diverse society--One North Carolina."

"We're sick and tired of the tea party's politics of yesterday. Black people can count too, Mr. McHenry. We understand your racist game. This is 2011. It's our agenda of tomorrow vs. your agenda of yesterday. The new fusion of Black, Brown and White voters who want to move North Carolina forward is forming. The Tea Party wants to segregate our Congressional Districts--three Black and 10 White.  We say No to Re-Segregating our Schools and our Voting Districts. Yes to One North Carolina."

Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.  For more information, call the State Office at 866-626-2227 or e-mail us at execdirnaacpnc@gmail.com.  ###

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