{"id":245816,"date":"2021-09-11T19:26:12","date_gmt":"2021-09-12T02:26:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/?p=245816"},"modified":"2021-09-11T20:39:31","modified_gmt":"2021-09-12T03:39:31","slug":"sweet-home-alabama-need-a-better-representation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/sweet-home-alabama-need-a-better-representation\/","title":{"rendered":"Sweet Home Alabama? \u2013 Need a Better Representation"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Above, Inset: clockwise from top left):<\/em><\/strong> Evan Milligan, Executive Director, Alabama Forward; Rodreshia Russaw, Executive Director, The Ordinary People Society (TOPS); Felicia Scalzetti, Southern Coalition for Social Justice CROWD Fellow, Alabama Election Protection Network; Jaeyeon Irene Do, Team Leader for Research and Development in Special Education, Alabama-Korea Education and Economic Partnership; Ana Espino, Executive Director, Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice; Valerie Adams, Co-founder & President, Alabama Indigenous Coalition. (Siliconeer\/EMS)<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Redistricting is a process by which Alabama legislators come together once a decade to draw new district lines that ensure all communities especially historically underrepresented groups get the representation and resources they deserve.<\/p>\n

With the release of 2020 Census figures showing dramatic shifts in population, redistricting season is in full swing. Between Sept. 1st and Sept. 15, Alabama’s legislature will hold a series of hearings across the state as it prepares to redraw the political districts to reflect the new census figures.<\/p>\n

Moderator Sandy Close, Director of Ethnic Media Services, was joined by Anthony Vincula, National Media Director in Atlanta, as they hosted a panel on redistricting in Alabama.<\/p>\n

The speakers, at the Aug. 26 Ethnic Media Services briefing \u2013 Evan Milligan, Executive Director of Alabama Forward, Alabama\u2019s Civic Table; Rodreshia Russaw, Executive Director of The Ordinary People Society (T.O.P.S.) and an Alabama Election Protection Network partner organization; Felicia Scalzetti, Southern Coalition for Social Justice CROWD Fellow for Alabama Election Protection Network; Valerie Adams, Co-founder & President of the Alabama Indigenous Coalition; Ana Espino, Executive Director of the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice; and Jaeyeon Irene Do, Alabama-Korea Education and Economic Partnership (AKEEP) \u2013 shared what grassroots organizations are doing to ensure Alabama’s underrepresented populations are heard and that all state legislators draw fair maps that include Alabama’s residents.<\/p>\n

Evan Milligan, Executive Director of the Alabama Forward and of Alabama’s Civic Table said that from the 2020 Census data being released, \u201cWe learned that our<\/p>\n

state (Alabama) has grown in population by 6.3 percent since 2010, at a little over 5 million people. We’re outpacing our neighbors to the west in Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking at the source of the population growth, there are some important things to observe \u2013 population growth occurred despite an overall decline in birth population; Alabama had international migration providing a large bulk of that growth and then towards the end of the 2010s, particularly in 2020, there was a surge in domestic migration with folks either moving back to the state or to the state for the first time.<\/p>\n

When we look at the demographics of that population growth, we see that the population of white Alabamians has shrunk from 68.5 percent of the population to 64.1 percent 68.5 in 2010 to 64.1 in 2020.<\/p>\n

People of color have been growing \u2013 black Alabamians fell from 26 to 25.6 percent over the last 10 years but in terms of numbers actually increased by about 43,000 people.<\/p>\n

Hispanic Alabamians increased from 3.9 to 5.3 percent.<\/p>\n

Alabamians identifying as two or more races tripled from 1.5 to 5.1 percent.<\/p>\n

Milligan said, \u201cWhen we think about the implications of that population growth, it’s really important to think about the struggle that Alabama has had historically since reconstruction to embrace the idea that people living in this state who are not white men are fit to govern.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDistricting and fair districts impact who we’re able to choose to represent us,\u201d said Milligan.<\/p>\n

Milligan also pointed that it was easier to walk into many of the trade shows and buy<\/p>\n

an automatic rifle than it is to obtain a Covid-19 test or find mental health care, to obtain employment that pays a living wage, or to find public transportation.<\/p>\n

Commenting on the access to healthcare providers, Milligan said, \u201cIn several of our counties over the last five years, the public health infrastructure was defunded.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rodreshia Russaw, Executive Director of The Ordinary People Society, said her organization has been advocating on all levels, for families who who are suffering from mass incarceration, homelessness and hunger.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to teach the Alabamians who are citizens, the importance of redistricting because it affects quality of life at every single level. When we look at those that are formally incarcerated, when they come out, most of them don’t have access to housing, employment, and a lot of them go back to a life of addiction. So, we have to make sure they understand that redistricting impacts growth in your quality of life.<\/p>\n

Alabama has systemically placed prisons in more rural white areas so that the population count is part of the Census data, but we have ensured that all the inmates are actually voting from where they are at their home address. That decreases the population count within the Census data because it is unfair for those to be serving their time within jails and prisons and being counted as if they live there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Felicia Scalzetti, Southern Coalition for Social Justice CROWD Fellow for Alabama Election Protection Network, said bringing a regional and local approach to what we’re doing is key. \u201cWe know our communities the best and by working together in our communities we can what works for Alabama to get a more equitable and fair redistricting cycle, to get more equitable and fair maps and ultimately to get more\u00a0equitable and fair representation as that is what we want out of this process.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to communicate to people that they are able to submit written testimony\u00a0and that the hearings will also be simultaneously broadcast virtually and that you will be able to raise your hand virtually and to give public testimony during those hearings. These hearings will be held over seven separate days over the first two weeks of September, starting Sept. 1 and ending on Sept. 16.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Alabama, Korean people are having difficulties living in American society with language and cultural barriers it is hard for them to get access to educational and social services.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Above, Inset: clockwise from top left): Evan Milligan, Executive Director, Alabama Forward; Rodreshia Russaw, Executive Director, The Ordinary People Society (TOPS); Felicia Scalzetti, Southern Coalition for Social Justice CROWD Fellow, Alabama Election Protection Network; Jaeyeon Irene Do, Team Leader for Research and Development in Special Education, Alabama-Korea Education and Economic Partnership; Ana Espino, Executive Director,…<\/p>\n

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