02 Jun 2026 Curtis Hill: Congressional Black Caucus Should Not Panic Over Losing Race Districts
“The end of race-based districts does not diminish Black political strength — it invites its expansion on firmer, more principled ground.”
Yesterday the Washington Post published a letter to the editor from Curtis Hill, a former attorney general of Indiana who now serves as a senior advisor with our Free Enterprise Project and an ambassador with our Project 21 black leadership network.
In the letter, Curtis writes:
The Congressional Black Caucus should not view the Supreme Court’s limits to race-based redistricting as a threat. Instead, it should view it as a historic opportunity both for Black Americans and the cause of equal justice.
The Congressional Black Caucus is composed entirely of Democrats. This presents a clear opening: The CBC could expand its membership to welcome Black Republican lawmakers and build a broader coalition of leaders who share a commitment to advancing opportunity in Black communities.
The Post could only publish an excerpt of Curtis’s full letter, but you can read his entire submission below.
The Congressional Black Caucus should not view the Supreme Court’s limits to race-based redistricting as a threat. Instead, it has a historic opportunity to turn this moment into a genuine win, both for black Americans and for the cause of equal justice.
Curtis T. Hill, Jr.
The Congressional Black Caucus is currently composed entirely of Democrats. No Republicans are members. This reality presents a clear opening: The CBC could expand its membership to welcome black Republican lawmakers and build a broader coalition that includes Americans of all backgrounds who share a commitment to advancing opportunity in black communities.
A truly representative caucus, not confined to one political party, would amplify black voices far beyond the limits of racially drawn districts and speak with greater moral and political authority on issues that matter most.
For too long, race-conscious mapmaking has concentrated black voters into designated “majority-minority” districts. This approach has produced designated “black seats” and “black officials,” but at a significant cost. It has reinforced the notion that black candidates primarily appeal only to black voters and that black communities require protected racial enclaves.
The result has been to signal to non-black elected officials that they bear less responsibility for addressing concerns in black neighborhoods. By packing voters of one race together, this strategy has also limited black political influence in the broader electorate, where black Americans do not hold a majority in most jurisdictions.
The CBC now has the chance to lead a different and more powerful path. When districts are drawn according to traditional, non-racial criteria—compactness, contiguity, respect for communities of interest, and population equality—candidates of every background must compete on ideas, records, and results. This system rejects the soft segregation of racial gerrymandering and honors the 14th Amendment’s promise of equal protection under one standard of law. It treats black Americans as full participants in the entire political process, not as a bloc to be isolated for electoral convenience.
This moment of redistricting reform also offers the CBC an opportunity to champion policies that strengthen black families, faith, education, and enterprise—the true foundations of lasting influence.
For instance, the CBC’s longstanding allegiance to the Democratic Party and its platform has included support for policies that have contributed to a disproportionate abortion rate in the black community. From 1973 to 2023, approximately 22 million black babies were aborted. Had those lives been preserved, Black America would today be nearly twice its current size, bringing with it substantially greater demographic strength and authentic voting power that no gerrymandered map could ever match or contain.
The Supreme Court’s recent rulings properly move us away from race as the predominant factor in drawing district lines. This shift should not be feared. It should be embraced as progress toward colorblind justice, where every citizen’s voice carries equal weight under neutral rules. The CBC can seize this opportunity to expand its reach, welcome black conservatives into the fold, and build coalitions that extend black influence across party lines and throughout the body politic.
True power for any community flows not from government-engineered racial boundaries, but from ideas that resonate widely, policies that strengthen families and futures, and representatives who earn support by serving the full range of their constituents’ interests. The end of race-based districts does not diminish black political strength—it invites its expansion on firmer, more principled ground. The Congressional Black Caucus should not panic. It should lead.