A lot has been said, especially here in the Delta, concerning the forthcoming changes set to occur in congressional redistricting. No doubt, a lot more will be said. New political territories will certainly reopen old political wounds, as the jockeying for position gets underway. Because Mississippi will lose one congressman, 200,000 people must now be drawn into the 2nd district under the new guidelines. Almost anyway you slice this, the majority of these new voters will be white. There are many that say the U.S. Justice Department will never allow the the Delta to be 50-50 white/black voting population. However, two other Southern states have faced similar situations and have taken the Justice Department all of the way to the supreme court. These states won in both instances.
According to several political scholars, in redrawing the lines the possibility is very great that the decision makers will go back as far as the early eighties for their benchmark. Since the early nineties, redistricting has not met the test in many corners. The last approved plan that seems to be reasonable, which is being discussed in many circles, contains the 2nd District lines from the early eighties. During this time, Mike Espy was able to beat Republican incumbent Webb Franklin in a 53% black voting district. In redrawing the lines the reasoning seems to be that as long as the Legislature does not dilute the black voting age population below the last mandated approved plan of the early eighties of 53%, there will be no legal ground for which to challenge.
It is ironic that the former congressman for the 2nd District, Mike Espy, is now one of the attorneys just hired by the joint legislative committee on redistricting to advise and counsel state lawmakers on this issue. Ironic in that it is apparent the 2nd District will have to be expanded eastward, taking in more white voters, in order to meet redistricting requirements. When this happens, Representative Bennie Thompson’s 65 percent black majority in the district will be greatly reduced.
This is significant only if you play the race card and believe that only a black majority can elect a black, or a white majority can elect a white. Mike Espy’s profound impact on Mississippi politics was to prove that such scenarios aren’t always how things happen. Even though initially, in 1986 when he was first elected to the Congress, Espy only enjoyed a small percentage of the white vote, this changed drastically in just a few years. Espy became quite popular with white voters because he listened to them.
Contrary to this, Bennie Thompson has come across to many Deltans, in words and actions, as a representative of only his race. Most Delta whites feel that Thompson has not represented them fairly, and he has not seemed very interested in dispelling that feeling. Because of this, a barrier has been erected, and it may be too late for it to be torn down.
If I were an advisor to Congressman Thompson, I would urge him to court the white voters in the Delta a little more ardently and aggressively. As one of the wealthiest members of Mississippi’s delegation, Rep. Thompson is obviously no fool. He needs to quickly hone his people and political skills because the house of race cards he has been under for so long will soon probably come crashing down.
The Delta’s white voters are longing for the day when a representative will listen to their problems and work to solve them. Let’s face it: our business community here in the Delta, and the whole state, is ready to move on and move forward. Most Deltans, and most Mississippians, are tired of fighting the same old battles in which no one wins but everyone loses. It’s not a racial issue, either; it’s an economic issue. Black and white together can make more green, and that is the message that must come through regardless of where the new district lines are drawn.
It is all too easy to prey on old stereotypes, fears, and tensions in order to amass political power. Many white politicians practiced this tactic against black voters for years and now black politicians are using the same tactics against whites. As history shows, this only worked for a certain time period for these white politicians. It will also only work for a certain time for the black politicians as the upwardly growing black middle class already sees the value of working with whites in order for everyone to move forward. This applies to whites in their thinking as well. What we need in the Delta is more economic power, and the only way we can gain this is through the reconciliation of our people to work toward common goals and incentives. Many feel that in order to do achieve this, we need a representative who can reach across racial lines and reach out to everyone.
Many legal issues are yet to be resolved in the coming weeks regarding redistricting. Perhaps I’m being naive in hoping that a workable, fair solution can be mapped out and that Mississippi can move forward and leave all the black/white baggage behind. But, as on the recent flag issue, all eyes are on our state again and a lot will be riding on what is decided. Here’s hoping the powers-that-be don’t forget those of us in the trenches---the average citizen, the business person, the parent---who are actually the majority and who want progress instead of politics as usual. DBJ

Scott Coopwood
Publisher