A protest between lawmakers broke out after Florida’s House of Representatives gave the green light for a new congressional map Thursday. The voter redistricting, which was a passion project for Gov. Ron DeSantis, erases a seat currently held by Democratic Rep. Al Lawson, who is Black, and it will give Republicans the opportunity to pick up more seats. The new map negates the area along the northern Florida border—which is predominantly Democratic and heavily populated with Black voters—from electing a candidate. Lawmakers joined in prayer and sang “We Shall Overcome” after the new map was passed. Leading the protest, Democratic State Rep. Yvonne Hayes Hinson said, “This is how we fought for civil rights. This is the same way John Lewis fought for the Voting Rights Act. …If we don’t have a right to vote, we feel like we’re back in slavery.”
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