A major pathway tied to Black women’s political representation is now weaker

Black women’s representation in Congress and state legislatures has reached record highs nationwide, but Black women remain significantly underrepresented at nearly every level of government.

Many of the gains that did occur developed during decades when communities could use Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act to challenge voting maps they believed weakened minority political influence.

The Supreme Court’s April ruling in Louisiana v. Callais narrowed that legal pathway, making some future voting-rights challenges harder to bring.

The decision arrives as several Southern states continue revisiting district maps ahead of future elections — raising new questions about how changes to those maps could affect future opportunities for Black political representation.

Why It Matters

Because many Black women were elected from majority-Black districts, changes to how those districts are drawn can directly affect future opportunities for representation. Research from Brookings found that roughly two-thirds of Black women elected officials held seats in majority-Black districts.

Many Black women who later reached national office first built careers in local government, state legislatures, or districts where communities had successfully challenged voting maps they believed weakened minority political influence:

• Shirley Chisholm served in the New York State Assembly before becoming the first Black woman elected to Congress.
• Kamala Harris moved from local and statewide office in California to the U.S. Senate and eventually the vice presidency.
• Stacey Abrams built national influence after serving in the Georgia House of Representatives, including as the first African American House Minority Leader.

The Supreme Court’s ruling does not erase decades of gains. But it does weaken one of the main legal tools communities used to challenge voting maps they believed reduced minority political influence.

Mini Explainer

What legal tools are still available to challenge voting maps?

The Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais did not eliminate all voting rights protections or end all legal challenges to voting maps.

Communities can still challenge district maps using:

• other parts of the Voting Rights Act
• constitutional protections, including the Equal Protection Clause and the 15th Amendment
• state constitutions
• in some states, state-level voting rights laws

But Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act had become one of the country’s most important legal tools because communities could challenge maps based on their effects — even without proving lawmakers intentionally discriminated.

What We’re Watching

• Redistricting disputes in Southern states ahead of future elections
• Whether future maps reduce opportunities for minority representation
• Long-term representation trends for Black women in Congress and state legislatures
• Whether changing coalition districts creates new pathways to office

Related WRDI Reporting

What the latest VRA ruling could mean for women’s political influence (May 26)
The states revisiting voting maps after the April VRA ruling (May 26)

Resources

Center for American Women in Politics - New Report Highlights a Decade of Gains and Persistent Gaps for Black Women in U.S. Politics
Brookings - Analysis of black women’s electoral strength in an era of fractured politics
Center for American Women in Politics - Black Women in American Politics 2025