Kamia Brown: Back in Tallahassee spending Florida’s taxpayer dollars to slash Black representation in Congress

Kamia Brown will be the FLBC's next head honcho. Image via House media.

The Florida Legislature is returning to Tallahassee for what’s called a Special Session.

But there’s nothing special about what we’ll be doing there.

Will we finally do more to address the skyrocketing costs of housing and property insurance or stagnant wages in order to help Floridians afford Florida?

Not a chance.

Will we be going back to Tallahassee to repeal the bills that were just passed that attack our freedom to vote, financially punish our schools, and ban books while censoring an honest and meaningful education that prepares students for the future?

Absolutely not.

The Governor wasn’t happy with the maps that Florida’s legislative leaders drew to determine who Floridians can vote for to represent them in Congress and so he vetoed the maps and called us all back for a Special Session.

These congressional district maps weren’t perfect, but they were bipartisan, and we did our best to ensure that they adhered to the Fair Districts amendments Florida voters put into our state Constitution.

Since the eve of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Governor has been clear about his desire to erase half of Florida’s Black Access seats in Congress, going from four to just two out of 28 potential voices for Black Floridians in Washington D.C. That’s a mere two members of Congress to represent nearly 3.5 million of us.

This is an injustice, plain and simple.

We must have fair representation at all levels of government and the redistricting process is how the Legislature should work to ensure that.

Fair representation is foundational to our democracy. When electing our leaders, we choose those that share our values and goals for our community. Without a similar life experience, it can be difficult for our elected representatives to understand our needs. The Governor’s desire to have his own maps that violate the Fair Districts amendments is an unprecedented power grab.

His maps are a blatant attack on Black representation that is sadly driven by his political ambition and will silence the voices of hundreds of thousands of Black voters. Rigging elections to hold on to power is dangerous to our democracy and Florida’s leaders need to know that voters are paying attention.

They need to hear that this overtly partisan attempt to influence the political map-drawing process is an extension of Florida’s already horrific history of racial discrimination in voting.

As an elected official, I want you to know that members of both parties in the Legislature need to hear from you. Although certain politicians may try to divide and silence the voice of the people, it’s important for the people to speak out against this dangerous, undemocratic move.

Floridians believe that every vote should count and that they should pick their leaders, not the other way around. It’s time to demand fair districts that protect Black voters in Florida because when the Black vote is protected, every vote will be protected. These attacks may start with silencing Black voices but there’s no telling where this will end. A majority of Floridians voted to amend the constitution to make sure that everyone has fair representation.

And it will take everyone, no matter who we are, what we look like, or where we are from to come together and fight for equality, fairness, and the freedom to vote, a true American value.

We must understand that our diverse communities are a strength and when we work together, there’s no limit to what we can accomplish. Leading up to and during this redistricting Special Session that starts on April 19, please call, email, tweet, or even come to Tallahassee if you can. Tell the leaders of our state that you insist on protecting minority representation in Congress by upholding the Fair Districts amendments of the Florida Constitution.

Any action — or inaction — taken now will impact Floridians for generations to come.

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Kamia Brown represents District 45 in the Florida House.