One Black Woman’s Opinion: “They Have Never Been Like Us”

Guest Opinion by Rep. Juandalynn Givan

THE ULTIMATE END GAME FOR THEM IS ALL RED,  ALL 67 COUNTRIES,  ALL 7 CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS FOR WHICH WE MUST ULTIMATELY BRACE FOR NOW OR IN 2030. 

Much has been said regarding the Supreme Court Ruling and outright gutting of the 1965 Voting Rights act, in particular, what will happen to our representation in the UNITED STATES CONGRESS WHETHER THIS STATE WILL ULTIMATELY BECOME BLOOD RED 7-0 or 6-1 with Terri Sewell being spared. 

I OFFER THIS COMMENTARY. 

They have never been like us, not even when the first slave ships docked in Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. 

They have never been like us, in 1776, not even at the founding of this country and the signing of the Declaration of Independence. 

They have never been like us, not even after President Lincoln signed the EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION freeing the slaves, and they decided that two more years of bondage was what we needed. 

They have never been like us. 

Not in Black skin.

Not in inherited struggle.

Not in what it means to fight for a right that was never freely given.

The decision by the Supreme Court of the United States to continue dismantling the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is not neutral. It is not accidental. It is not disconnected from race.

It is a modern extension of an old playbook.

Strip the protection.

Shift the power.

Silence the vote.

They have never been like us.

Justice Clarence Thomas stands as the most painful contradiction of all — choosing legal theories over lived truth, dismissing the very racial barriers that shaped the path he walked through. In doing so, he gives cover to a narrative that says racism in voting is behind us — when the evidence on the ground says otherwise.

Chief Justice John Roberts has spent years laying the groundwork for this moment — insisting America has “changed” enough to no longer need federal protection. But what has really changed is the strategy, not the intent.

Justice Samuel Alito narrows civil rights with precision — cutting protections in ways that look technical on paper but devastating in practice.

Justice Neil Gorsuch and Justice Brett Kavanaugh consistently defer to State power — despite a documented history of states using that power to suppress Black political strength.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett follows that same line—one that prioritizes legal abstraction over racial reality.

And when you step back and look at the whole picture, what you see is not coincidence.

You see alignment.

Alignment that weakens protections born out of Black blood, Black resistance, and Black sacrifice.

They have never been like us.

Because if they had been — if they had faced literacy tests designed to fail them, poll taxes designed to block them, district lines designed to erase them—they would understand this truth:

The Voting Rights Act was not an overreach.

It was a lifeline.

ALABAMA — WHERE THE FIGHT IS REAL

Now Alabama stands at the center of this moment.

The special session is not just about maps — it is about whether Black political power will be honored or engineered out of existence.

We know what is coming:

Lines drawn behind closed doors.

Communities split with surgical precision.

Power concentrated.

Maps turned red.

Let’s not pretend this is about geography.

This is about race and White power.

They have never been like us.

AT THE END OF THE DAY WE MUST BE PREPARED TO ULTIMATELY LIVE IN THE REALITY OF THEM HAVING ULTIMATE POWER WHETHER IT BE IN 2026 or 2030 IF WE DO NOT VOTE. THERE IS STILL TIME TO STOP IT. 

THEY WILL NEVER BE LIKE US…OR SHOULD I SAY WE WILL NEVER BE LIKE THEM.

Juandalynn Givan is a Democratic member of the Alabama House of Representatives, serving District 60 in Jefferson County since 2010. A Birmingham native, attorney, and business owner, she earned degrees from Miles College and Miles Law School before working in city government and founding her firm, Givan & Associates. In the legislature, she has focused on issues such as public health, criminal justice reform, and local governance, while building a reputation as a direct and vocal advocate for underserved communities.

For more information, follow Givan’s campaign on Facebook.