KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Rev. Emanuel Cleaver III is calling for a second Civil Rights Movement as tensions rise over redistricting efforts led by President Donald Trump and his Republican allies aimed at consolidating power in Congress. In Missouri, these moves threaten to disadvantage Black voters, and Cleaver warns that failing to challenge these tactics could lead to a regression in civil rights gains achieved over the past generations.
During a sermon at St. James Church, where his father, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, began his congressional journey, the younger Cleaver voiced concerns that the current political climate could erase the achievements of the Civil Rights Movement. With congressional district boundaries being redrawn, he fears greater marginalization for communities of color and a rollback of representation in Congress.
Trump and Republicans openly embrace their motivations for redistricting, leveraging a Supreme Court ruling that allows for partisan gerrymandering based on party affiliation. As Democratic states like California propose their own redistricting plans, the situation in Missouri and Texas raises alarms for civil rights advocates, who view these boundary changes as a form of 'race-based gerrymandering.' NAACP President Derrick Johnson described it as a 'redistricting civil war' and expressed the necessity to contest the new maps legally.
Residents in Kansas City, like retired nurse Meredith Shellner, fear these changes will result in decreased federal investment in essential services, lamenting that their communities could 'be cut short' because of these efforts directed at altering representation. The proposed redistricting would significantly weaken Black representation in Missouri, allowing for a GOP stronghold if the new maps are approved.
In Texas, similar fears arise as Republican Gov. Greg Abbott insists that new district boundaries will lead to increased representation for Latino voters, despite evidence suggesting a decrease in Black lawmakers. Amid legal challenges from the NAACP, advocates argue that the Republican-led redistricting efforts serve to disenfranchise already marginalized voters.
The ongoing debate reflects a deeper struggle over race, representation, and equality in the U.S., with many across Missouri and Texas echoing Cleaver's call for action to protect civil rights.
During a sermon at St. James Church, where his father, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, began his congressional journey, the younger Cleaver voiced concerns that the current political climate could erase the achievements of the Civil Rights Movement. With congressional district boundaries being redrawn, he fears greater marginalization for communities of color and a rollback of representation in Congress.
Trump and Republicans openly embrace their motivations for redistricting, leveraging a Supreme Court ruling that allows for partisan gerrymandering based on party affiliation. As Democratic states like California propose their own redistricting plans, the situation in Missouri and Texas raises alarms for civil rights advocates, who view these boundary changes as a form of 'race-based gerrymandering.' NAACP President Derrick Johnson described it as a 'redistricting civil war' and expressed the necessity to contest the new maps legally.
Residents in Kansas City, like retired nurse Meredith Shellner, fear these changes will result in decreased federal investment in essential services, lamenting that their communities could 'be cut short' because of these efforts directed at altering representation. The proposed redistricting would significantly weaken Black representation in Missouri, allowing for a GOP stronghold if the new maps are approved.
In Texas, similar fears arise as Republican Gov. Greg Abbott insists that new district boundaries will lead to increased representation for Latino voters, despite evidence suggesting a decrease in Black lawmakers. Amid legal challenges from the NAACP, advocates argue that the Republican-led redistricting efforts serve to disenfranchise already marginalized voters.
The ongoing debate reflects a deeper struggle over race, representation, and equality in the U.S., with many across Missouri and Texas echoing Cleaver's call for action to protect civil rights.
