On the first Sunday after the Supreme Court decided to hollow out the Voting Rights Act, Richelle Lewis-Castine offered some clear advice to her congregation in Patterson, Louisiana.
“I encouraged them to early vote,” said the pastor of an African Methodist Episcopal Church. “I encouraged them to make sure that they get the information, that they’re reading carefully, and to encourage other people—especially those groups in their families who would not normally vote—to vote because it is so very important at this hour.”
Lewis-Castine is among a group of Black clergy taking proactive measures in the wake of the ruling, which is already reshaping election processes across the country—including prompting Louisiana legislators to meet on May 8 to debate redrawing their congressional maps after the court’s declaration. The 6-3 ruling stated, in the words of Justice Samuel Alito, “That map is an unconstitutional gerrymander,” referring to Louisiana’s second majority-Black district.
