When the Supreme Court ruled that race can no longer be the controlling consideration in drawing voting districts, we were assured by the court and leading Republicans that it only seemed like it was about race. Legislatures could, however, gerrymander districts on the basis of political preferences. This is progress?

With the Supreme Court tucked firmly in the GOP’s pocket, the writing is on the wall for the type of shared government that protects us from dangerous extremism. We are well on the way to the kind of one-party rule common to autocracies — and just in time for the 250th and final birthday of America as we have known it.

The only good news is that we are told the new rules for redistricting aren’t about race.

Nothing is ever about race. It never has been.

The Civil War was not about preserving slavery that kept almost 4 million Black people in perpetual bondage. The cause of the war, as it states on the Sons of Confederate Veterans homepage, was “the preservation of liberty and freedom (which was) the motivating factor in the South’s decision to fight the Second American Revolution.” It was also about unfair tariffs and Northern sabotage of the Southern economy.

But it was never about race.

The literacy tests once required for voters in states such as Mississippi weren’t about suppressing Black voters, who had few educational opportunities. They were simply an effort to ensure that Mississippi had an informed electorate.

Clearly, it wasn’t about race.

Likewise, poll taxes weren’t intended to make it impossible for impoverished Black citizens to vote. They were about the perfectly reasonable need to pay for elections.

It was most definitely not about race.

Separate facilities for Black people and white people? It wasn’t about making sure white people didn’t have to share spaces with Black people. It was about making sure that Black people had access to things like drinking fountains and spaces just for Black people — usually out back or in the rafters.

That was not about race, either.

When the Mississippi Constitution forbade Black people from serving on juries, it wasn’t about denying them a role in the judicial system. It was about sparing them the nuisance of taking time away from their regular jobs and everyday routines.

It was not about race.

Prohibiting intermarriage between Black people and white people? It wasn’t an effort to discourage assimilation and acceptance. Rather, it was about preserving both white and Black identity and culture.

It was not about race.

Redlining? It wasn’t about segregating the Black population in the poorest neighborhoods. It was about making sure property values didn’t drop and protecting the housing market.

Of course, it was not about race.

When the Supreme Court ruled that states with a history of racist election laws no longer needed federal approval before enacting any new election laws — something called preclearance — Mississippi immediately passed a voter ID law. It wasn’t about creating new barriers for marginalized racial minorities to cast their ballots. It was a perfectly reasonable effort to stop virtually nonexistent voter fraud and protect the integrity of the election process.

That wasn’t about race, either.

Even this summer, if there is a special session, or at the beginning of the 2027 regular session in January, the Republican-dominated Mississippi Legislature is likely to redraw the state’s four congressional districts.

State Auditor Shad White didn’t bother cloaking the intent. He said the point of redistricting would be to remove U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson by diluting the Black vote in District 2, the state’s lone majority-Black district. Redistricting would leave Black Mississippians without a voice in Washington even though Mississippi has the highest percentage of Black citizens in the nation, at 38%.

Gov. Tate Reeves wasn’t as candid about that sentiment, saying redistricting would eliminate race from consideration and make everything equal.

Framing it that way allows legislators to escape the condemnation of their own consciences as they plunge Mississippi back into a form of Jim Crow rule.

Here is the bottom line: Legislatures can increase white voting strength through redistricting, and it is acceptable because it is political gerrymandering. Yet efforts to increase Black voting strength through redistricting are race-based gerrymandering and, therefore, not permitted.

This is like saying the surgery was successful, but the patient died. It embraces procedure while ignoring the outcome.

Lest we jump to the wrong conclusion, remember:

It’s not about race.

It never is.

Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].

Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].