OPEN LETTER: Donnell wants answers on redistricting

Editor’s note: This is an open letter Jackson City Council member Richard Donnell sent to State Senator Ed Jackson on May 11 regarding the state legislature’s move to redistrict Tennessee’s districts in the United States House of Representatives and carve District 9, which was previously in Shelby County and represented by Democrat Steven Cohen.

Dear Senator Jackson:

I write to express my profound disappointment and hurt with your vote supporting the legislation redrawing Tennessee’s congressional district lines in a manner that dilutes the voting strength of Black citizens in Memphis and Shelby County.

For generations, African-Americans in the Ninth Congressional District have fought, sacrificed, and organized to secure meaningful representation in government. The newly adopted map undermines that representation by dividing and weakening the collective voice of Black voters to the point where electing a candidate of their choice will become extraordinarily difficult or impossible.

What makes this action particularly troubling is that Republicans already control all state-wide elected offices, super majorities in the General Assembly, and eight of Tennessee’s nine congressional districts. Yet rather than respecting the one district where Black voters maintain meaningful political influence, the Republican-controlled General Assembly chose to dismantle it in pursuit of total partisan control.

This situation brings to mind the biblical account found in 2 Samuel 12. In that passage, the prophet Nathan confronts King David with the story of a rich man who possessed many flocks and herds, while a poor man had only one little ewe lamb that he loved dearly. Despite having abundance already, the rich man took the poor man’s only lamb for himself. Nathan declared that this act was unjust because it reflected greed and a disregard for fairness and compassion.

That analogy is difficult to ignore here. As previously written, Republicans already dominate Tennessee politics, controlling eight congressional seats, yet they still targeted the one district where Black voters have meaningful electoral power. This appears to be an unnecessary and harmful effort to silence a community’s voice, not an act of fairness or good governance.

Representation matters in a democracy. Every citizen deserves a fair opportunity to elect leaders who understand their experiences and advocate for their interests. When district lines are manipulated to predetermine outcomes and diminish minority voting strength, public trust in government is damaged and the ideals of equal representation are weakened.

I respectfully urge you to reflect upon the long-term consequences of this legislation and the message it sends to African-American citizens across your district and the State of Tennessee. History will remember whether you and other elected officials who voted for this legislation stood for equitable representation, or for political power at any cost.

Sincerely,

Richard

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