SCSJ’s Allison Riggs: “We know the South is ready.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 12, 2021
MEDIA CONTACT: Sailor Jones, Communications Director, sailor@scsj.org, 919-260-5906
Durham, N.C. (August 12, 2021) — In response to the U.S. Census Bureau’s August 12 release of redistricting data, Allison Riggs, Co-Executive Director and Chief Counsel for Voting Rights with North Carolina-based Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) released the following statement about the kick off of the redistricting process and what it means for North Carolina and the South.
“Today’s release of Census data marks the official start of the 2021 redistricting process and an opportunity for people across the country to participate in map-making, make their voices heard about much-needed representation and resources, and map their futures for the next ten years. While we know some state lawmakers have spent the last week proposing vague redistricting criteria with little notice for public input, we’ve spent the past year preparing Southerners to draw new district lines which give each of our votes equal weight, each of our voices equal standing, and each of our communities equal resources. Thanks to our collective work, we know the South is ready.”
For over a year, SCSJ has hosted 31 multi-day Community Redistricting Organizations Working for Democracy (or CROWD) Academies, which have equipped over 1,000 people (our CROWD Scholars) and 150 organizations across 8 Southern states with the skills to educate their communities about the redistricting process. Moreover, we’re providing intensive training and mentorship to 25 CROWD Fellows tasked with monitoring map-making in communities across the state while helping North Carolinians and Southerners draw alternative state and local maps yielding the resources and representation they deserve.
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The Southern Coalition for Social Justice, founded in 2007, partners with communities of color and economically disadvantaged communities in the South to defend and advance their political, social, and economic rights through the combination of legal advocacy, research, organizing, and communications. Learn more at southerncoalition.org and follow our work on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.