Texas Cannot Erase Black and Brown Voices Through Redistricting

OP ED
Anita Roberts
Texas Veteran, Combat U.S. Veteran, and Mother

As a Black woman, a proud Texan, a combat veteran, and a mother of two African American sons, I have worn the uniform of this nation and defended its promise of freedom. But today, I am deeply ashamed of my state, Texas —and alarmed at the blatant attempt by Texas lawmakers to erase the political voices of Black and Brown communities through proposed redistricting efforts.

Let me be clear: this is not just about political boundaries. This is about white supremacy and whether democracy still belongs to all of us—or just to the few who hold power.

The proposed redistricting plan currently under consideration is a direct attack on communities of color. It is rooted in the same ideology that once fought to keep Black Americans enslaved in this very state. And now, in 2025, we are watching Texas legislators attempt to modernize voter suppression under the pretense of political strategy.

This is not just unjust. It is illegal, immoral, and deeply un-American.

We have seen this playbook before. Racially gerrymandered districts. Strategic dilution of minority votes. Communities carved up like puzzle pieces to preserve the dominance of one party and one demographic. It is white supremacy dressed in legislative language, and it is happening in plain sight.

As someone who served this country overseas, in a war zone, I am appalled that I must now fight this battle at home. I fought for freedom, only to return to a state trying to revoke that freedom from its own people. My sons deserve to grow up in a Texas where their votes matter just as much as anyone else’s. Instead, they are being taught that their voices can be silenced, their communities erased, and their worth questioned—by the very people elected to represent them.

And for what? For political gain? To cling to power that no longer reflects the people of Texas?

If you support this redistricting plan, you are not simply playing politics. You are complicit – in white supremacy AND in the continued disenfranchisement of Black and Brown Texans. You are reviving the racist tropes and ideologies of our past and telling our children they are not worthy of living fully and freely in a state their ancestors helped build.

This must stop now.

We demand that this redistricting plan be rejected—not reworked, not revised—rejected. Texas lawmakers must stand on the right side of history, law, and morality. The future of democracy in this state depends on it.

Do the right thing. Protect Veterans. Protect all Texas citizens. Protect our votes. Protect our voices. Protect our democracy.

The world is watching – more importantly what are you teaching our children? They are watching.

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