On April 29, the US Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling striking down Louisiana's 2024 electoral map, which had created a second majority-Black congressional district. The Court reasoned that drawing district boundaries based on racial criteria is illegal. Louisiana lawmakers subsequently approved a new map that eliminates the 'Sixth District' and merges it into neighboring majority-white districts. This move not only automatically gives the Republican Party an additional seat in the upcoming November congressional midterms, but is also seen as a major setback for Black representation in the United States. Sixty years after the passage of the Voting Rights Act, does this ruling promise an inclusive politics that transcends racial classifications, or does it represent a step backward? And is it possible today to address racially based divisions by refusing to recognize race?
