There is power in the collective.
That’s something those of us with Alabama Values Progress and our partner organizations have found to be true as we navigate the rough waters riled by the GOP-controlled Alabama legislature’s constant attacks on democracy.
We have learned that working collectively can be a successful strategy to bring about the change we seek. And that there is power in numbers.
We won’t tolerate bigotry and discrimination any longer. Collectively, we will make a change in our state.
Our first challenge as a collective was working to convince our legislature’s reapportionment committee—which is tasked with drawing up new voting maps based on Census data—that there needs to be a second majority-minority district in the state. We created talking points and worked on strategy.
We also noticed that the meeting times were during daytime working hours, making them inaccessible to some Alabamians. Sure, the legislature provided livestream access, but the audio was subpar. And because Alabama still lags behind other states in broadband Internet access, not everyone could tune in. A group of us pushed for answers on this lack of transparency.
Last fall, as the redistricting process was playing out, we held a series of community education forums, drawing more than 100 people each night.
We didn’t get our way with the legislature, as the Republican supermajority passed maps without a single Democrat supporting the result. Our partner organizations challenged the maps in the case Milligan v. Merrill. And a three-judge panel sided with the Milligan plaintiffs, requiring the state to draw new Congressional maps. The state then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which stopped the order for new maps from going into effect. The court will hear arguments in the case in October.
Our partners have been busy fighting countless undemocratic bills from the Alabama legislature, which wrapped up its session in early April. We had some success defeating an anti-riot and protest bill that was introduced in response to protests in Birmingham after the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
We were also successful in helping defeat a divisive bill that sought to place constraints on what school-aged and college-aged students could learn about race, sex, and gender. Many of our partners rallied on the statehouse steps against these bills, launched social media campaigns, and lobbied lawmakers.
Despite our efforts, however, many other undemocratic bills did pass the legislature. One was a transphobic bathroom bill for students, to which the legislature added a “Don’t Say Gay” amendment on the last day of the legislative session. Another was a transphobic medical bill criminalizing the use of puberty blockers for those under age nineteen, making Alabama the first state to deem providing such treatment a felony.
If there ever were bills passed in Alabama for political gain during an election year, it would be these two bills. They arguably make it illegal for a teacher to have a conversation in an elementary school with a child who has two moms. They also make it difficult for parents to affirm and support their children who may be transgender during a challenging time in their lives without running the risk of criminal charges.
Being a teenager is a difficult time for most children, but being transgender in a state where the legislature has criminalized you for being who you are makes it harder still.
Our partners on the ground worked with transgender youth and their families to block these bills. They had support from state Democrats, but can only do so much when there’s a Republican supermajority in both chambers. Lawsuits have been filed against the state on the transgender medical legislation.
While we saw some awful bills pass recently, we also sent a message that the legislature should get used to seeing progressive voices rallying for a better Alabama. Our fight will continue because we won’t tolerate bigotry and discrimination. Collectively, we will make a change in our state. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and it’s one we’re determined to win.