The Supreme Court’s recent redistricting decisions weakened a key part of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that had supported race-based redistricting to protect minority voting power. This has left a lot of people in our community unsettled—and for many of us, it’s not just “politics.” But when redistricting is attacked Democracy is attacked. When protections against voter dilution are weakened, we hear an old, familiar message: some voices matter less. Our history makes it hard to shrug that off.
That’s why we feel a responsibility to show up in solidarity with the Black community, especially when fair representation is on the line. In the Jewish Caucus, we often come back to a simple idea: our experience with prejudice and antisemitism shapes how we see threats to democracy, and it pushes us toward building real partnerships with other communities. We’ve learned (sometimes the hard way) that political power isn’t abstract—it affects safety, dignity, and whether people get a say in decisions that shape their lives.
We think about Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel marching beside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. not because it makes for a good photo, but because it captures a decision many people had to make then—and we have to make now: do we step in, or do we stay on the sidelines? For a lot of Jewish Arizonans watching what’s happening with redistricting, the frustration isn’t performative. It feels like a line is being crossed.
Still, frustration by itself doesn’t change maps, laws, or outcomes. What has made a difference—over and over—is steady work: listening, showing up consistently, and organizing with partners even when it’s complicated. For us, standing with the Black community means backing efforts that protect fair representation and speaking out when those protections are chipped away, even if it’s politically inconvenient.
Democracy is something we have to keep choosing—through turnout, advocacy, and attention to the rules that decide whose votes count. When any group’s political voice is deliberately weakened, it doesn’t stay contained. It makes it easier to do the same thing to others later, and it chips away at trust in the whole system.
Emotions come and go; what tends to last is what we do next. Many of us carry a memory—personal, family, communal—of what it looks like when prejudice is tolerated, and minority communities are treated as expendable. That memory is why we’re choosing solidarity now. If you’re looking for a place to plug in, join us: support fair-map efforts in Arizona, partner with Black-led organizations, and stay engaged through the next election cycle. We’re stronger—and safer—when we protect democracy together!
Submission by: The Executive Committee of Arizona State Democratic Party Jewish Caucus
