By Victoria Mejicanos
AFRO Intern
A group of Woodlawn residents are condemning a redistricting plan, which they say fractures their community. The self-named Westside Map Coalition, comprising Black pastors, churches, community organizations, sororities, and fraternities from Woodlawn and surrounding areas, has offered an alternative map.
On July 7, the Baltimore County Council held a legislative session to discuss the redistricting commission plan, also known as the 2-2-5 map.
Linda Dorsey-Walker, chair of the Westside Map Coalition, claimed during her testimony that the proposed map would divide Woodlawn into three separate areas and called it “just wrong.”
The Coalition’s proposed alternative, called the “Woodlawn Approach,” she further argued, is the only map that has had its numbers carefully scrutinized at each public hearing. Yet, other maps, such as the one proposed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, collected data where they used the term “any parts black,” she continued, arguing it dilutes the Black population.
“The Westside Coalition map does not dilute the actual census numbers and power of the African-American community on the west side of Baltimore County,” said Dorsey-Walker. “ It is the only map that does not deny Woodlawn, the community with the highest percentage of Black population in Baltimore County, the right to have its own designated council district.”
A concern with each map is whether or not it is in compliance with the Voting Rights Act, which – among other things – prohibits practices that dilute minority voting power. Dorsey-Walker reminded the council members that Karine Kraton, who was a consultant brought in by the commission from the Brennan Institute, informed the commission members that the Woodlawn Approach map could stand up to a Voting Rights Act challenge if the Baltimore County government re-endorsed it.
Peta Richkus, who is a resident of what is currently District 6, shared her support for the 2-2-5 map, which she said is fair and complies with the Voting Rights Act. She emphasized that the expansion of the Baltimore County Council, approved by voters last November, was not merely a numerical change.
“It was a call for better representation, especially for the Black, Brown, immigrant, and other historically underrepresented communities that now make up nearly half of our county,” said Richkus. “The 2-2-5 map recommended by the redistricting commission reflects that diversity and complies with the Voting Rights Act. It ensures that no one community is unfairly disadvantaged.
“The 2-2-5 map provides a framework system that departs from past decades of packing minority voters into as few districts as possible to dilute their voice,” she continued. “This is a once-in a generation opportunity to build trust in our local democracy.”
Roland Patterson, associate vice president for the Baltimore County branch of the NAACP, which created another map in collaboration with the ACLU, said there generally needed to be more discussion prior to the Oct. 1 deadline faced by the council.