Gomillion v. Lightfoot (1960)

Untold Stories: The Cases That Shaped the Civil Rights Movement

This episode looks at Gomillion v. Lightfoot (1960) a case that involved the gerrymandering of a district along racial lines. In the city of Tuskegee, the black population outnumbered the white population 4 to 1, and black people were increasingly registering to vote. This unnerved the white citizens who devised a plan to redraw the lines of the city from a square shape to a 28-side district that included all the white people, and only 4 or 5 black people. It essentially shut all black voters out of city politics. Prof. Charles G. Gomillion, who taught at Tuskegee Institute, filed this lawsuit to stop the city. After losing at the trial and appellate level, he appealed again to the US Supreme. Watch the video to find out what happened. If you like this episode, please be sure to rate and review us! Also, be sure to subscribe to my blog palookesworld.com so that you never miss an episode!