Concerned residents and grassroots organizations calling on City of Tuscaloosa to consider community map submitted that reflects the city’s diversity, become more transparent in local redistricting process
A group of concerned Tuscaloosa residents is calling on the City of Tuscaloosa to consider a map the group has submitted that accounts for Tuscaloosa being a minority-majority city. Tuscaloosa Action is also asking the city to create a more transparent redistricting process and allow for public input into the decision-making process to ensure equitable and fair maps are passed that will be representative of minority communities.
Local redistricting is a process of drawing new district lines across cities such as Tuscaloosa in which the lines drawn will impact and shape the lives of residents for the next decade and directly influence how resources are distributed throughout the city’s neighborhoods.
“According to the 2020 Census, Tuscaloosa’s population is now 52 percent non-white,” Tuscaloosa Action organizer Mike Altman said. “We are a minority-majority city. That doesn’t show up in our representation on city council, however, because two of our districts are racially gerrymandered, and a number of the districts are racially packed.”
Tuscaloosa’s population has grown by about 9,000 people since the 2010 census. Most of the growth was among non-white communities, especially the Black community. Less than 5 percent of the growth are white residents. In 2010, 52 percent of Tuscaloosa residents were white. According to the 2020 census, only 47.9 percent of Tuscaloosa is white.
Altman said the current maps created in the last redistricting cycle packed black voters into District 7, with 74 percent Black residents. Additionally, District 6, which borders District 7, only had a 37 percent Black population in the last Census.
“Black residents don’t get the full representation they rightfully should have,” he said. “Our city council districts are racially gerrymandered. Federal law requires cities to make as many majority-minority districts as possible.”
The community-created map creates four majority-minority districts, a competitive district, and two white districts.
The Tuscaloosa Branch of NAACP is supporting the community map.
“We want to ensure that there are no lines that are drawn to protect someone’s seat and there is no obvious political gain,” Lisa Young, president of the Tuscaloosa Branch of the NAACP, said. “We also want to make sure that from a socioeconomic standpoint that they don’t create clusters of poverty.”
Young is calling on the city to create maps that reflect the city’s diverse population.
“In the past, when (Mayor) Walt (Maddox) was asked about the makeup of the city council, he has always said it was representative of the city,” she said. “Now, that is not the case.”
Altman said with the way that maps are drawn currently, the average Tuscaloosa resident may feel wholly disconnected from the city government.
“Residents in Districts 1, 2, and 7 might feel like the city doesn’t pay enough attention to their neighborhoods,” he said. “Residents who live in the West End might feel like the politicians only come around and pay attention to them during election years. They might feel this way because the current map does not accurately represent our city.”
Maps created during the redistricting cycle will be in place for the next 10 years.
“A kid who is 8 or 9 today will be voting according to this map,” he said. “So, it’s really important that it’s fair for that kid, wherever they live in the city. It has to be fair. If we want a government that is responsive to our citizens’ needs, then we need a map with districts that accurately reflects our citizens. Our map, a fair map, will make it easier to hold our leaders accountable to every resident in town.”
Both Altman and Young agreed the City of Tuscaloosa has failed to be transparent in its redistricting plans.
“They have not been transparent during this process,” she said. “We were told there would be public hearings, but so far, there has been none. When we got the Census count, each council member said they would create a committee, and each councilperson would go out to their constituents and get input. I don’t recall there being any discussion as it relates to the map.”
Altman said residents have not gotten a straight answer about when the council will vote on the map.
“We have never gotten a draft map from the council, and there have been no opportunities for public involvement in the process,” he said. “Councilors have said that residents are free to send them maps and comments via email or bring comments to the open comment portion of city council meetings, but that is the extent of public involvement. I think the council could do more to get public input in the process. When the state legislature does redistricting, they have open hearings across the state. We would like to see the councilors host similar open forums in each of their districts to get feedback from their constituents.”
Altman said the group emailed their map and concerns to the council, Maddox, and the city attorney.
“A couple council members sent back short ‘thank you for this information’ replies,” Altman said. “A couple of the councilors reached out for brief conversations. However, when we sent a follow-up email asking questions about the council’s timeline for passing a map and how residents could get involved, the council president replied that our questions sounded ‘condescending’ and ‘insulting’ because they insinuated the council was not going to be fair.”
If the city council ultimately doesn’t want to consider the community map, Altman said the group would welcome collaboration with the council.
“We don’t have to get everything we want in a map. We just want residents to have a seat at the table in drawing the map for their own city,” he said. “We want voters choosing their councilors, not councilors choosing their voters.”
Additionally, residents who want to get involved are encouraged to reach out to their city councilor, ask about the redistricting process and request a public hearing on redistricting.
They can also reach out to Tuscaloosa Action and the Tuscaloosa Branch of NAACP to get involved.
The next city council meeting will be held Tuesday, December 21, at 6 p.m.
