Washington, D.C. – Community leaders invited from Ward 7 Democrats, the Marshall Heights Community Development Organization, Ward 7 Councilmember Vincent C. Gray, elected Ward 7 ANC Commissioners, and the NAACP, Washington D.C. Branch, will hold a press conference on Monday, December 6, 2021 at 4:30pm (EST) rejecting the proposed “final” redistricting map for Ward 7. This redistricting serves to discriminatorily divest already socioeconomically disadvantaged communities East of the River in Ward 7.
The Council’s Subcommittee has proposed a redistricting of Ward 7 that will exasperate the already present disparities for a community that is 92% African American with a per capital annual income of $26,000. As constructed, the map will not provide fair representation across all 8 Wards and specifically, disproportionally impacts the residents of Ward 7, such as those in Kingman Park. In addition to this plan’s rejection, an alternative map alleviating these community concerns has been introduced to D.C. Council and its Redistricting Sub-Committee.