I'm sounding the alarm. A sordid part of American history can not be repeated
Eric Holder Jr, former US attorney general, challenges Louisianans to fight for newly created Black-majority districts.
After years of disenfranchisement, Black Louisianans, who make up one-third of the state’s population, finally have the opportunity to elect candidates of their choice in one-third of the state’s congressional districts—what commonsense would lead us all to consider equal representation, and what federal law requires. But there are anti-democratic forces who remain set on reversing this progress, and we are committed to fighting them every step of the way.
The recent challenge against Louisiana’s new representative map is yet another attempt to weaken the Voting Rights Act, and it underscores the perpetual nature of the fight for equal representation.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Allen v. Milligan, we have seen progress in places once thought to be unreachable in the fight for fairness. But that progress has not come easily. Legislatures have openly attempted to defy court orders. Anti-democratic voices at the national level have continued to push for gerrymandered maps. At each turn, we have used every tool at our disposal and prevented these anti-democratic forces from prevailing.
We cannot allow a sordid part of American history to be repeated. Yet again, anti-democracy forces must be stopped.
Thank you for standing with us,
Eric H. Holder Jr.
82nd Attorney General of the United States