By Jabari Bovell
Republican lawmakers in Tennessee approved a controversial new congressional map that removes the state’s only majority-Black U.S. House district, centered around the city of Memphis. The decision has sparked protests, lawsuits, and national debate over voting rights and representation.
The new map divides Shelby County, home to Memphis, into three separate Republican-leaning districts. Critics say this weakens the voting power of Black communities and could make it harder for Black voters to elect candidates who represent their interests. Many Democrats and civil rights groups called the move a modern form of voter suppression and compared it to “Jim Crow” era politics.
During the vote at the Tennessee Capitol, protesters filled the building chanting slogans like “No new maps!” while some lawmakers linked arms in protest. State Representative Justin Jones called the plan “a form of Jim Crow terror.” Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers defended the map by saying the changes were political, not racial, and argued they wanted Tennessee to have an all-Republican congressional delegation.
The redistricting could also affect longtime Democratic Congressman Steve Cohen, whose district was heavily changed under the new map. Cohen later announced he would not seek re-election unless the courts overturn the new boundaries.
Civil rights organizations, including the NAACP, have already filed lawsuits challenging the map. Similar redistricting efforts are now happening in several Southern states after a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision weakened parts of the Voting Rights Act that protected majority-minority districts.