Should Detroit’s 13th Congressional District Remain a Black Seat?

by Donald James

As one of the blackest cities in America — Detroit deserves black representation 

The political landscape in Michigan has undergone a profound and adverse facelift.  The state is losing a U.S. House seat because the last Census count shows the loss of population.  And Detroit, America’s Blackest major city, no longer has a majority Black congressional district based on the controversial redrawn congressional and state legislative maps approved by the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission on December 28, 2021.   

As the 2022 midterm and general elections draw closer, the 13^th Congressional District, with its 45% Black population (a majority-minority), will be watched closely to see just how much “Black voters matter.”  The reconfigured 13^th includes much of Detroit, Highland Park,  Hamtramck, the Grosse Pointes, and other cities in Wayne County. 

African American candidates rumored to run for Congress in the 13th, all democrats, include Dr. Shauna Ryder Diggs (dermatologist and former University of Michigan Board of Regents member), Sherry Gay-Dagnogo (Detroit School Board member and former state representative), Ralph Godbee Jr. (former Detroit Police Chief), Michael Griffie (attorney and educator), Adam Hollier (state senator), Sonya Mays (Detroit developer and School Board member), and Portia Roberson (Focus: Hope’s CEO).

State Rep. Shri Thanedar, an Indian-American, has announced he is running.  The Democrat says he will fund his campaign with millions of his own money.  More candidates are expected to join the race ahead of the April 19, 2022 filing deadline.    

Wayne County Executive Warren Evans told the Michigan Chronicle that he has convened a broad group of stakeholders interested in establishing a fair and transparent process for identifying and backing a consensus Black candidate to run for the 13^th Congressional seat.

“In theory, everyone says it’s a great idea, but the politics of pulling it together is difficult because in some instances, people have already chosen their candidates,” Evans said.  “But I have an effort afoot to try and create a broad consortium of folks to see if we can carve out a process to pick a consensus candidate because there’s no denying that when you have this type of vote splitting with the tremendous number of prominent African Americans in the race, you certainly give the other opponents who are not of color the chance to be successful.”

Evans said that he has convened two meetings.  However, he emphasized that others in the community are welcome to join the consortium and offer insight to crafting a viable process for choosing a consensus African American candidate for the 13^th Congressional race.

“It’s a lot to be ironed out,” Evans said.  “But if we aren’t successful, it will go back to the old way of throwing cold water on each other and everybody picking an individual in the race and see what happens. I just don’t know that anybody should want to take that risk because we are desperately facing the loss of political power and a seat in congress.” 

“Wayne County Executive Evans is the right person to facilitate such a movement because of the stature of his office,” said Chris Jackson, who heads a Detroit-based political consultant group and runs a development firm in the city.  “He is someone who is well respected.”  

Bishop Edgar Vann, Senior Pastor of Second Ebenezer Church in Detroit’s 13^th Congressional District, agrees.

“Wayne County Executive Warren Evans is certainly someone who has stood tall with integrity and has done a great job in Wayne County,” Vann said.  “If this is something that he wants to do, I would hope that it’s something that people could adhere to. We need a consensus candidate, but we live in a time when people don’t listen to other folks when they feel it’s their time.”

Vann added that Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence (D-Southfield), who won’t seek re-election in 2022, could be valuable in selecting a consensus candidate.

“Congresswoman Lawrence is not leaving office with scandal; she’s coming out with a distinguished record,” said Vann.  “As far as selecting a consensus candidate, maybe Brenda Lawrence can help make that happen.”

In the 12^th Congressional District, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, who was first elected to represent the 13^th in 2018, has announced she will run for re-election in the new 12^th.  The district includes a part of Detroit, Dearborn, Southfield, and other cities in Wayne and Oakland counties.    

Several African American women have also been rumored to run in the 12^th, including former Michigan House of Representatives member Shanelle Jackson, Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey, and Lathrop Village Mayor Kelly Garrett – all democrats. 

“We have not relinquished the 12^th district just because somebody moved there and announced they are going to be a candidate there,” said Rev. Wendell Anthony, senior pastor, Fellowship Chapel in Detroit and president, Detroit Branch, NAACP.  “Both the 12^th and 13^th Districts are very important to African Americans in Detroit and the suburbs. We need the presence of an African American in Congress.”  

Evans also believes that the 12^th Congressional district is important for African Americans living in Detroit and other Wayne and Oakland county cities.

“If I’m being asked if the same general principles should apply in the 12^th Congressional District like we are trying to do in the 13^th, my answer is “yes.”  However that’s not on our drawing board right now.”   

If Thanedar wins the 13^th Congressional seat and Tlaib is victorious in the 12^th, there will be no African Americans in Congress representing Detroit and other cities in Wayne and Oakland counties with significant Black populations when the 118^th U.S. Congress begins in January 2023.   

“Black people without representation contrast what Dr. King and other civil rights advocates fought for in getting the Voting Rights Act of 1965 passed and signed,” said Arthur B. Blackwell, political strategist and former chairman, Wayne County Board of Commissioners.  “When you have almost one million Black people in Michigan, it’s critical that there’s Black representation in Congress.”

Congresswoman Lawrence, elected in November 2014 to serve Michigan’s 14^th District, is the state’s lone Black member of Congress.  As a result of redistricting, many expected her to run for re-election in the newly redrawn 12^th  Congressional District.  Lawrence announced several weeks ago that she is not running for re-election.   

“Congresswoman Lawrence had indicated to me a month before her announcement, or maybe earlier that she was running and the rumors of her not being a candidate were not true,” said Anthony.  “Certainly, she has the right to determine her own destiny.  I would have preferred, like many others, that some type of notification be given to some in the community so that greater planning might have been made in terms of a succession plan.  I’m being honest, giving a heads up would not have left us in this situation of scrambling to find and support somebody to fill the gap.”

A lawsuit has been filed against the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission for approving the revamped congressional maps for 10 years.  Filed by former and current lawmakers, the lawsuit alleges that the commission’s approval illegally disenfranchises Black voters and violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which bans discriminatory voting practices and procedures.

The Detroit NAACP is about to weigh in.

“Our lawyers are currently reviewing, evaluating, and making a determination as to what the Detroit NAACP will do,” said Anthony.  “We will take some action, maybe filing an amicus brief with regards to the current lawsuit being taken, or we may file our own lawsuit.  Within the next ten days, we will come out with the action that we will take.”