Whites Only
The disaster the justices have unleashed has its roots in one of the darkest periods of our history.
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Driving District 6
What the U.S. Supreme Court missed about Congressional District 6 in its landmark ruling, Callais v. Louisiana.
When does Black history become history, not just race, in the eyes of the law?
Black communities stretching across Louisiana did not suddenly become connected when legislators drew a congressional district around them.
Loud enough for Washington to hear
Residents of the enclaves of District 6 carry a shared inheritance: cancer, pennies-an-hour wages, broken sewer lines, and highways aimed at their front doors. When divided into separate voting districts, those griefs were left unheard and isolated.
Ribbon of Black enclaves reflects deep Louisiana history
The neighborhoods that the old 6th District gathered up—strung along rivers, railroads, and interstates from Shreveport to Baton Rouge—are the exact communities left scattered apart by two centuries of plantations, Jim Crow, and systemic disinvestment.
Louisiana’s 250-mile ‘snake’ district, built by grudges and human geography
Within the serpentine 6th District, Black voters face similar struggles with low wages, poor healthcare, and a fight for historic recognition
Court deems Black cultural connections as race, not culture
In every corner of the now-scuttled 6th District, Black residents tell of deep connections through Louisiana history, food, and today’s struggles. But this spring, the nation’s highest court concluded that those voters share only race, not a cohesive culture.
