“Pleasant Grove is a bit of a microcosm of the state of Alabama as a whole,” NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund attorney Deuel Ross said.
Eric Calhoun sued a small Alabama city four years ago for maintaining an election system that he said was unfair, unconstitutional and was created to “dilute the strength of Black voters.”Calhoun, who was appointed to the Pleasant Grove City Council last Monday, was a plaintiff in a 2018 federal lawsuit that took aim at the city’s at-large election method.
“Pleasant Grove is a bit of a microcosm of the state of Alabama as a whole, in which Black voters… are packed into one district, and majority-Black parts of the state are being divided up in a way that they don’t have adequate representation,” Ross said. Calhoun’s appointment, however, could signal a real shift of political power to Black council members, since the mayor, who is white, also has the opportunity to vote.last week after securing the position. “The issue is representation and to make sure that we have a diverse city.”
He also holds a J.D. from Miles Law School, a Master’s degree in public affairs from Kentucky State University and a Bachelor’s degree in accounting from Wilberforce University in Ohio. Redistricting required by the settlement will go into effect this year – which Ross says could also result in more Black representation on the school board.
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He sued an Alabama city for diluting ‘the strength of Black voters.’ Now he’s on the council.Eric Calhoun, appointed to the Pleasant Grove City Council, was a plaintiff in a 2018 federal lawsuit that took aim at the city’s at-large election method.
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