Texas NAACP Applauds Lawmakers who Left the State During First Special Session
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Statement from Gary Bledsoe, President of the Texas NAACP. Today, the Texas NAACP wholeheartedly applauds the Texas legislators who left the state during the first special session, denying a quorum and halting the business of a legislature intent on adopting a racially gerrymandered and intentionally discriminatory Congressional map.
Their principled stand stopped majority lawmakers from pushing through devastating changes that would further erode the rights of Black and Hispanic voters to elect leaders of their choice.
“We recognize that these attacks are not limited to Texas.” said Derrick Johnson, President and CEO, NAACP. Johnson added, “these assaults are part of a coordinated campaign to silence Black and Brown voices in politics. Before these attacks can spread, states must continue to take actions to strengthen legal safeguards, voter access, and democratic institutions.”
Texas President Gary Bledsoe refuses to play their part in a broken system, these representatives have not only stopped harmful legislative business in its tracks but also grabbed the attention of the nation. Their actions have lit a fire for civil rights — raising the alarm about what is happening to Black and Hispanic voters in Texas and inspiring other states to rally in defense of our democracy.
As a result, awareness of these injustices has surged across the country. Other states are now joining with us, determined to fight fire with fire. This increased attention carries meaningful legal consequences: The additional time has allowed us to more thoroughly analyze the initially proposed map and, more importantly, to improve our legal position to potentially seek relief from the federal courts before these discriminatory plans can take effect. This is true even though the House cancelled a public hearing on yesterday, and during the same day noticed a Redistrict Hearing without testimony and then adopted a Committee Substitute that appears to be even more discriminatory than; Bledsoe added.
Bledsoe noted that experts from private law firms and nonprofits agree that legal action has a far greater chance of success when brought closer to an election.
“The actions of our legislators have significantly improved our position in the courts," Bledsoe said. “There is no guarantee in any court proceeding but it is clear that the legal avenue has a greater chance of success than the political one, given the makeup of the Texas Legislature and the unknowns about an extended quorum break.” To
illustrate the difficulties in using the quorum break as the primary strategy, Bledsoe pointed out that Leader Hakeem Jeffries has opined about how New York adopted a plan in May of the same year of an election and was permitted to go forward with the election.
Bledsoe also noted that the Texas Legislative Black Caucus members were among the first to break quorum and last to return to Texas with some vowing to stay out for the duration of the special session.
The facts are stark. Texas is only 40% white, yet white voters control 28 of 38 Congressional seats in the current map— over 73%. These numbers are much worse in C2308 or the Committee Substitute C2333.
“The African American vote in Texas is clearly diluted in both of these maps, and it is absolutely clear that this is a racial and not a partisan gerrymander even though the majority continues to say otherwise,” Bledsoe advised. “
The Texas NAACP will continue to fight these discriminatory efforts at every turn. We invite all Texans and Americans who believe in equal representation to stand with us.
Contact: Texas NAACP Email: lkerrnaacp@gmail.com Phone: (512) 985-9151.
