As a sweeping mid-decade redistricting campaign threatens to erode Black power in Congress, Rep. Yvette Clarke, a Brooklyn Democrat, is leading the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC).
“Voting rights is the North Star of the Congressional Black Caucus,” Clarke told Spectrum News.
The CBC currently has 58 members and is at risk of losing 19 seats to redistricting, according to Clarke.
Rep. Shomari Figures of Alabama is among the one-third of CBC members whose seats are now jeopardized by redistricting.
“There’s value in having representation and leadership at all levels that doesn’t look the same,” Figures said.
To offset such potential losses, Democrats are working with leadership in blue states, including New York, to redraw maps in their favor.
“To create a scenario where the congressional seats are hardened in a position that makes it only possible for one party to rule. That’s a slide into authoritarianism.” Clarke said. “We’re going to do everything we can within the laws and regulations of each and every state.”
However, most of the gerrymandered maps benefiting Democrats will not come into play until 2028.
For November’s midterms, Clarke says the CBC is pursuing a multi-pronged approach that includes appealing new maps in court and mobilizing Black voters through the CBC PAC. The group, led by Queens Rep. Gregory Meeks, is pouring money into partnerships with online content creators.
“We want to be where the people are in every facet of their lives,” Clarke explained.
The CBC is also looking to apply economic pressure, having recently obstructed college athletics legislation and by supporting the NAACP’s call for Black athletes to boycott schools in the SEC.
“I totally support what the CBC is doing. Now, obviously, those athletes have a choice, right? But what do you want the CBC to do? Right? I mean, they’re being gerrymandered out of existence,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Florida said.
While CBC members are at risk of losing their seats, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, of Brooklyn, is poised to potentially become the first Black Speaker of the House.
Jeffries has publicly promised “maximum warfare” in the redistricting fight.
