JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – State Rep. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, submitted official written testimony Wednesday asking members of a commission charged with redrawing the boundaries of Missouri’s 163 state House districts to preserve the integrity of African American districts in St. Louis City. The commission met for a public hearing at the UMSL Student Center Wednesday at 9 a.m. Nasheed said that as commissioners work to create a map that is fair for the people of St. Louis, they must take into consideration the interests of the African American population in the City of St. Louis.
“The population of the city is just under 50 percent African American but the initial map proposal provides only four African American districts out of the nine that represent St. Louis,” said Nasheed. “The City of St. Louis represents an area of the state that is strongly African American. The districts that are drawn for the city should reflect that fact.”
Nasheed’s written testimony stated that the proposed consolidation of historically African American districts in North St. Louis City would not adequately or fairly represent the voting interests of the people of St. Louis.
Nasheed’s testimony also pointed to the underrepresentation of African Americans in St. Louis City and in the state as a whole. Nasheed pointed out that African Americans represent 11.6 percent of Missouri’s population but only 8.8 percent of the membership of the Missouri House of Representatives. She said the current numbers are indicative of the fact that African Americans as a population are underrepresented in the halls of government.Â
