I remember my great-grandmother regularly bringing me to work with her as a kid. She was a community educator for Birmingham City Schools in Alabama.
I remember the seriousness in her work ethic and tone as she spoke frequently with families and students on the importance of education, being active in your community, and voting on issues that impact your community.
I remember sitting in my A.P. Government class in 2008, watching Black educators cry in pain and happiness as they heard Sam Cook's "A Change is Gonna Come" playing over the announcement of President Barack Obama being elected as the first Black president of the United States.
I remember citizenship training in 2013 as an AmeriCorps member studying the Alabama Constitution and seeing the disenfranchisement of Black Americans still highlighted in the constitution.
I remember feeling so emotional and powerless at a moment when I was committing myself to serve the state of Alabama.
That moment of powerlessness reminded me of all of these moments. My memories of everything my great-grandmother taught me about community. The pain and happiness in the tears of Black educators at my high school feeling like their voice was finally heard after so many years – and that their vote mattered.
I was wondering, how did this happen? How are we, Black Americans, still voiceless in Alabama?
Gerrymandering impacts people of color, leaving them voiceless on issues that affect their communities. Will you chip in a few bucks today to support All On The Line's work to stop gerrymandering in states like Alabama?
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Team -- how many more moments are we willing to let pass as communities remain voiceless and powerless? Olivia already expressed that the Oct. 4 oral argument in front of the U.S. Supreme Court is not an isolated moment. For me -- it's my voice, my existence as a Black citizen living in Alabama, and my ability to vote and witness actual change on issues that impact my life, my family, and my daughter's life -- on the line.
Take action today to support All On The Line's democracy reform work to protect fair maps in states like Alabama and give a voice to communities that are being silenced and denied the ability to vote for rightful representation.
I'm a part of All On The Line's team fighting against gerrymandering in courts and in advocacy -- because it's time for new memories. Don't you think?
Emuni Sanderson
Mobilization Strategist
All On The Line is the grassroots advocacy campaign supported by the National Redistricting Action Fund. Support our work to end gerrymandering.
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