BATON ROUGE, La (BRPROUD) — Black Voters Matter Project joined up with a coalition of local and national civil and voting rights organizations that hosted a redistricting takeover across the state of Louisiana.
The takeover will take place during the legislature’s 2022 First Extraordinary Session for Redistricting.
Their tour bus traveled for two days across the state to raise awareness about the upcoming redistricting session.
This takeover includes a pep rally in Baton Rouge and will end with a press conference on the steps of the Louisiana State Capitol building on Wednesday.
Grassroots organizations from Monroe, Shreveport, Lafayette, the West Bank, Baton Rouge and other parts of the state joined together for the collective mission and will deliver testimony before the House and Senate Governmental Affairs Committees and meet with lawmakers.
Historically, the redistricting process has led to the disenfranchisement of Black communities in Louisiana. This year is no different as the HGA adjourned upon seeing over 200 Black people from across the state at the opening session. Efforts to block public testimony and participation are rampant during this extraordinary session. Overall, Black people make up nearly one-third of Louisiana’s population, but only one of the state’s six U.S. House seats is in a majority-Black district.
Here is a list of organizations that will participate in the takeover:
- All Streets, All People (ASAP)
- A New Chapter PUSH
- Baton Rouge NAACP
- Black Voters Matter
- CitizenSHE United
- Color Of Change
- Class Act, Inc.
- GRAE (Growing Real Alternatives Everywhere)
- Honoring Our Ancestors
- Housing Louisiana
- Jeremiah Group
- Kingdom in Action
- Lead Louisiana
- NAACP Baton Rouge
- NAACP Lafayette
- Opportunity to Restore
- The People’s Promise Youth Division
- Power Coalition for Equity & Justice
- Sunvestka
- United Ballot PAC
Schedule of events for the takeover:
Wednesday, Feb. 9 | Baton Rouge
- 8 a.m. to noon CT: Press Conference (Louisiana State Capitol Building, 900 N 3rd Street B170, Baton Rouge)
- 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. CT: Takeover Lunch (McKinley Alumni Center, 1520 Thomas H. Delpit Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70802)