Less than two months after George Floyd was killed in police custody, America’s crisis of systemic racism has become a central issue ahead of the November election. A majority of voters now agree that American society is racist. And nearly two-thirds disapprove of President Trump’s handling of race relations.
But these numbers overlook a critical point: defeating Donald Trump won’t address some of the most powerful drivers of structural racism in America, including voter suppression and partisan gerrymandering.
In order to halt the ongoing assault on the political power of Black and Brown Americans, we must look to the foundation of our government: state legislatures. This could not be more important ahead of redistricting next year. Failure to break GOP control in the most influential state legislatures in the country will result in levels of voter suppression and gerrymandering not yet seen in the modern era.