Thursday, December 26, 2002
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

EDITORIAL: Across racial lines

Gerrymandering districts to help elect minorities is unnecessary

In the aftermath of racially charged statements issued by university system Regent Linda Howard and Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott, it's good to see some welcome news on race: the revelation that, as a percentage of population, Nevadans have elected the highest share of African-American state lawmakers in the nation.

Seven African-Americans will serve in the 72nd session of the Legislature, comprising 11 percent of that 63-member body ... even though blacks make up less than 7 percent of the state's population overall.

Compare the composition of our Legislature to those in presumably more "progressive" states, including California, with only six black lawmakers in its 120-member Legislature; Massachusetts, with a mere seven African-Americans among its 200 state lawmakers; and Washington, with just two out of 147.

It's worth noting that the state's two freshman black legislators, Democratic Assemblymen Kelvin Atkinson and William Horne, were elected from districts which have relatively few African-American residents: 10 percent of Mr. Atkinson's constituents in the 17th District are black; while Mr. Horne will serve the 34th District, with an African-American population of only 5 percent. Incumbent state senators Maurice Washington and Bernice Matthews similarly represent districts where fewer than 5 percent of the residents are black.

The ascendance of African-Americans in the Legislature should confound those who believe that the only way members of racial minorities can attain elective office is by drafting legislative districts based primarily on the racial composition of the population. Such arguments were made on behalf of both black and Hispanic politicians during the 2001 Legislature, while redistricting was being debated.

But those who continue to agitate for such racial gerrymandering should be informed, if not chastened, by the success of African-American representatives in the Nevada Legislature. Good minority candidates can and will attract support across racial lines.

For the Silver State, once derisively called "the Mississippi of the West" for the segregationism practiced at public and private facilities alike, this is a favorable development, indeed.