| “They’re Not Redrawing Districts—They’re Redrawing Power Away From you” By Harrison L. Blair, Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce |
| Family, don’t let anybody lie to you. What’s happening in Texas right now is not about democracy—it’s about domination. As lawmakers enter this special session to redraw congressional maps, they are not engaging in fair governance. They are engineering silence. Our silence. This is not about lines on a map. This is about controlling who has power and who gets locked out. Let’s tell it like it is: These redistricting efforts are an outright attack on Black people in this state. The goal is simple—to break up our communities, to dilute our political strength, and to make sure that we can’t send leaders to the Capitol who speak for us. This is particularly troubling when you consider that Texas has the largest pool of eligible Black voters in the United States. They want to make sure that Black Texans stay in the background, stay invisible, and stay powerless. And they’ll do it by any means necessary—through trickery, through legislation, or through a pen stroke. But let me remind you: When you mess with our vote, you mess with our future. And we will not sit quietly. Economics Is Politics. When they strip us of political power, they also strip us of economic opportunity. No representation means no contracts, no grants, no access to capital. It means policies that bypass our communities and favor everyone but us. The day we can’t elect advocates is the day we can’t expect any justice. A Black business can’t grow in a system that’s designed to lock it out. Political erasure is economic strangulation. That’s not just unfair—that’s intentional, dare I say, unconstitutional. They talk about helping small businesses, but when the districts are drawn to ignore your existence, you are not included in the decisions that affect your business, your streets, your infrastructure, your access to funding. For small businesses, this is a big betrayal. Gerrymandering is a weapon. And they’re using it against our communities, against our businesses, and against our ability to build something for ourselves. That’s not oversight. That’s oppression. We say no more. No more political games with our lives. No more drawing us out of the picture. We are not begging—we are demanding. Fair representation. Real inclusion. Economic justice. And we call on every Black voter, every Black business owner, every ally of justice: Stand up. Speak out. Stay engaged. Because if we don’t defend our voice, they will erase it. And I’ll say this plainly—we’re not asking for power. We’re taking it back. |
