By Nate Abraham Jr.
COLUMBIA
“It’s our duty to fight for our freedom! It is our duty to win! We must love each other and respect each other! We have nothing to lose but our chains!”
On Saturday, May 23rd, a rally was held on the South Side of the SC State House to protest the South Carolina Senate’s efforts to redraw South Carolina’s Congressional Districts.
The event was sponsored by several groups, including Black Voters Matter, The Ubuntu Collective and the NAACP. The event organizer was Zakiya Mickle, founder of The Ubuntu Collective.
“The vision behind The Ubuntu Rally was to create a space to exercise joy, play, song, dance and community connectedness as resistance,” she said. “This rally centered Black folks and created awareness about the impacts of this redistricting effort on historically disenfranchised populations. We hosted the rally during the special Saturday session in hopes that working folks could participate and we’re proud to say that with less than a 24-hour notice, we had a full program and over 85 people attended.”
“This redistricting effort is advancing rapidly but I’m glad communities are responding and showing up on the grounds to participate and bear witness,” she continued. “After all, this is the People’s House … the people get to be there. We look forward to continuing to remind people especially Black folks that the State House was built by our ancestors and we get to exist there as well…especially during times like these.”
Mickle says that South Carolina residents must fight back against efforts in the South Carolina Senate to redraw the Congressional map.
“H.5683 will redraw the maps in South Carolina and change the date of the Congressional primary from June to August, which will inevitably disenfranchise voters across this state. It is an attempt to dilute the Black vote,” said Mickle.
Because Governor McMaster called for a special session for the legislator to debate the bill, the Senate was in session on Saturday. The rally was held on the South Side of the State House so state senators could “hear their voices” as they debated.
“They are going to hear us out here rallying while they are debating,” Mickle vowed.
Mickle went on to say that the rally is about more than just educating people and raising awareness.
“This is also an opportunity for us to be together,” she said, “because joy is also a form of resistance.”
Mickle says that all South Carolinians must speak up against the bill in the interest of fairness.
“Our legislators want to change the rules so that there are seven Republican congressional seats,” she said. “The person who drew this map told us that they drew it to ensure that there are seven Republican Congressional seats, and that is cheating. If you draw the map to ensure that a certain group wins , that’s cheating.”
Zakiya Mickle, founder of The Unbuntu Collective, led a rally on the steps of the State House to express opposition to the SC Senate’s attempt to redraw he state’s congressional district lines.