WASHINGTON — Today, Hip Hop Caucus Assistant Director for the Respect My Vote! Campaign, Christopher Walton, issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision to reverse a lower court’s decision barring the use of a racially segregated congressional district map in South Carolina that unconstitutionally diluted Black voting power:

“The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the Alexander v. South Carolina Conference of the NAACP, which had been dragged out for months, only further pushes down the Black community in South Carolina from having its voice heard. By systemically pushing Black voters into an already majority Black voting district, South Carolina is just the latest example of modern voter suppression tactics being validated by the high court. This decision shows that Jim Crow ideologies are alive and being wielded in the name of political opportunity. 

Hip Hop Caucus unequivocally believes that all voices and votes should be heard and respected. We also stand for the courts  as well as the Department of Justice playing a pivotal role in reviewing claims of racial gerrymandering. Therefore, Hip Hop Caucus strongly disagrees with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ concurring opinion that advocates for ignorance in support of White Supremacy. Our system of checks and balances is critical for a fair democracy and for challenging efforts to block and suppress the votes of Black voters and other communities of color.

Hip Hop Caucus will continue to support the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act, and will continue to advocate for fair independent redistricting and equal voting rights for all.”

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