Alabama will find out within the next few weeks its fate regarding a three-judge panel's review of the congressional maps created by the Alabama Legislature last month after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled maps drawn in 2021 violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
According to U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Hoover), who the federal court's decision will directly impact, the initial U.S. Supreme Court ruling works against strides made during the nation's civil rights struggle.
During an appearance on Mobile radio FM Talk 106.5's "The Jeff Poor Show" on Friday, Palmer warned the decision would "institutionalize" divisions based on race.
"The thing that concerns me most, Jeff, is that we spent years working against segregation," he said. "We bought into the teachings of Martin Luther King, Jr., who said you don't judge people by the color of their skin but the content of their character. We worked very hard for equality and assimilation to be Americans and not be viewed as one group versus another."
"Yet, now we're pursuing an argument that says, in many respects, give the impression at least that if you're black, you can only be represented by a black person," he continued. "If you're white, you can only be represented by a white person. And we're going to institutionalize that with lines on a map. I think it is a step backward, a very serious step backward, at a time when our country needs to find a way to be unified, we're creating more division."
Jeff Poor is the editor in chief of 1819 News and host of "The Jeff Poor Show," heard Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-noon on Mobile's FM Talk 106.5. To connect or comment, email jeff.poor@1819News.com or follow him on Twitter @jeff_poor.
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