The African-American community should extend a vote of thanks to Mayor Staci Albritton-Mitchell and the West Monroe Board of Alderpersons for their timely decision to work with the Justice Department to insure minority participation in West Monroe government.
While West Monroe leaders are applauded for not dragging out the process with endless appeals and more litigation, we must also acknowledge that the quick decision wasn’t a matter of principle but a direct response to pressure brought by United States Justice Department.
The at-large voting method used in West Monroe was one of the tactics used by segregationists in the late 1960s to suppress black voter participation in the aftermath of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
The Old South had many tools used to suppress black voting. One of the most historic was the 1898 “Grandfather Clause” in Louisiana that prohibited anyone whose grandparents were slaves from voting.
Many governments instituted various barriers, including poll taxes, recitation and interpretation of the Preamble to the constitution, and many others. At-large voting and ward voting effectively prohibited blacks from participating in government if whites were the majority. It happened in the City of Monroe, the Ouachita Parish Police Jury, the Ouachita Parish Parish School Board, and the City of West Monroe.
Lawsuits by black groups such as the Black Citizens Council, led by A.G. Facen and “Citizens United for Progress” led by Benny Ausberry, or the Guiding Voice, led by Dr. John I. Reddix, effectively used the 1964 Civil Rights Act and 1965 Voting Rights to smash those barriers.
However, one barrier remained in our area; it was the City of West Monroe, which existed below the federal radar and generally avoided detection for 56 years. When the Justice Department came after West Monroe last month, the Mayor and Board of Alderpersons knew it was a waste of time to fight the accepted law of the land. Mayor Albritton-Mitchell wisely chose to accept change.
Her inclusive nature may have wanted to pursue Black participation, but political realities in a city that overwhelmingly supported the MAGA agenda would have crucified her for advancing such an idea.
The Justice Department lawsuit provides sufficient cover for mayor Albritton-Mitchell and the Alderpersons who took her advice.
When the conservative elements of the city blast them for diluting white power, they can now blame those “do-gooders” in the Justice Department for meddling in the affairs of the city where the mascot of the city’s high school is “Rebel.”
This change will result in at least one council district with a black majority district, making it very likely that a black will be elected.
This case also proves why 56 years later, we still need the power of legislation like the Voting Rights Act to protect the rights of minorities.
Three cheers for Mayor Staci Albritton-Mitchell.
Three cheers for the U.S. Justice Department that gave her the political cover needed to finally offer political inclusion to West Monroe African-Americans.
