Every month, we give the Amicus Mundi Award to an outstanding lawyer in our community who exemplifies our shared values of service and dedication to building a more just and equitable society. This month, we are celebrating a lawyer who worked to create a database of state voting rights acts that will help protect minority voting rights across the country. Join us in saying…
Congratulations, Misasha Suzuki Graham!
The big picture: Earlier this month, in a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled to uphold the Voting Rights Act and ordered Alabama officials to redraw the state's congressional map to allow an additional Black majority district.
Many feared that the Supreme Court would strike down the federal Voting Rights Act, which would have been a huge hit to minority voting rights across the country.
Leading up to the Allen v. Milligan decision, Redistricting Data Hub worked with six We The Action lawyers to create a database that allows people to find out what protections for minority voting rights one might have on the state level.
Building a resource: Misasha Suzuki Graham, a longtime litigator, podcast host, and We The Action volunteer was one of the first volunteers to sign up for this project.
In her pro bono work and on her podcast (Dear White Women), Misasha has focused on using her voice and her status as a lawyer to uplift marginalized communities.
Misasha says, “Voting and the right to vote are so foundational, and are constantly under attack these days. Anything to make the effort to protect voting rights easier for people on the ground fighting is so important."
The nonpartisan Redistricting Data Hub provides individuals, good government organizations, and community groups the data, resources, and knowledge to participate effectively in the redistricting process. After meeting as a team to decide what would be important in a nationwide database, volunteers divided up the 34 target states to identify whether they each had a Voting Rights Act or were considering one, and whether the individual states had any other protections for minority voting rights in redistricting.
The database now exists publicly on Redistricting Data Hub’s website where visitors can see whether their state has or is considering state level protections of minority voting rights.
The lasting impact: While the Supreme Court decision is a major win for voting rights, the work is not done. This resource from Redistricting Data Hub will help good government and civil rights groups and the public know what other backstops are available in a worst-case scenario.
Kate Donovan, Co-director at Redistricting Data Hub, says, “There continue to be threats to the Voting Rights Act. Without We The Action, we lacked the skillset and capacity to track the potential impact on minority voting rights at the state level. The public resource developed by our volunteers will serve as a safeguard for the future, and provides critical information in the fight to uphold these protections.”
On volunteering: Misasha has completed 7 projects through We The Action, and continues to value pro bono work in her career.
Misasha says, “Volunteering for the first time can be daunting. If you find something you are really passionate about, that can get rid of some of the fear because you are so motivated. If you are passionate about something, it is likely on the We The Action platform.”
Kate says, “Misasha is a dream volunteer. When I’m working with Misasha and other We The Action volunteers, it doesn’t feel like work.”
Want to be like Misasha and support nonprofit organizations on the front lines of social change? We have 80+ legal projects that need your help!