The National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African American Culture hosted
a Voting Rights Think Tank on October 5, 2023. The Think Tank took place in the
Montgomery Interpretive Center on the campus of Alabama State University. During the
day-long discussion, twelve politicians, activists, and academics explored
Congressional redistricting in Alabama, with a focus on the Allen v. Milligan United
States Supreme Court redistricting case.
Dr. Kareem Crayton, Senior Director for Voting Rights and Representation at the
Washington D.C. based Brennen Center, provided background on Congressional
redistricting in Alabama, and he explained why the Supreme Court directed the state
of Alabama to create two Congressional districts, thereby giving African American
voters a greater opportunity to select a candidate of their choice.
Session one began with Evan Milligan, lead plaintiff in the Allen v. Milligan case.
Milligan provided an analysis of the litigation, and was joined by State Senator
Merika Coleman of Birmingham, and Chris England, a member of the Alabama House of
Representatives of Tuscaloosa. During the second session, Alabama House member,
Anthony Daniels of Huntsville joined the panel.
At Noon, Think Tank participants viewed the new “Voter’s Portal” web page, a project
of the Voting Rights Research Repository Project, an initiative of the National
Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African American Culture at Alabama State
University. This web-based resource provides both historic and contextual
information on voting rights, while also serving as an on-line one-stop portal to
contemporary information about voting.
The two afternoon sessions featured another set of state legislators, as well as
several political organizers. State Senators Bobby Singleton of Greensboro and Roger
Smitherman of Birmingham, were joined by House members Anthony Daniels of Huntsville
and Kenyatta Hassell of Montgomery. The legislators participated in a robust
discussion exploring decades of legislative experiences around race and
Congressional redistricting.
The last session featured several individuals working on voter registration and
participation. Panelists included Dr. Robert White, author, radio host, and Pastor
of City of Refuge, Bernard Simelton of the NAACP, voting rights strategist Samuel
Duff of the ACLU, and Kynesha Brown of Rollin to the Polls.
Findings from the Think Tank are available through several channels. A review of the
program’s findings has been published in a 25-page report compiled by Alabama State
University Professor of Political Science, Regina Moorer. In addition, excerpts of
the four-hour discussion are accessible on several social media outlets. Both the
report and the video are available on the Voter’s Portal webpage.
The Voting Rights Think Tank was made possible through funding provided by Alabama
State Senator Kirk Hatcher, and in consultation with political consultant Felix
Parker.
