Tyler’s District 2 & Dangers To Black Representation

Tyler Morning Telegraph , Tuesday, March 25, 1975

In the late 1920s, on the heels of Tyler’s Ku Klux Klan—when practically all city leaders from pastors to county judges and mayors were members—a plan was orchestrated to circumvent federal law to segregate housing in the city. Districts were drawn up by the Dallas consulting firm Koch & Fowler to encourage Black citizens to live set apart from their white neighborhoods. Koch & Fowler successfully segregated Austin a few years earlier, and this model was implemented in other Texas cities. The result was that the city’s de facto practice of white supremacy would successfully deny Black representation until the 1970s. That is when courageous African-American communities, beginning with Palestine and Nacogdoches, decided to challenge their own deeply racist local governments. Lawsuits were filed to demand justice. This fight for equal rights under the law encouraged Tyler’s Black residents to do the same.

Civil rights attorney Larry R. Daves filed a lawsuit on behalf of three plaintiffs—Palmer, Square, & Whitaker—in the United States District Court Eastern District of Texas located in Beaumont, where Judge William Steger presided. City of Tyler lawyer Jack Skeen Jr. offered a solution to the court, but Assistant Attorney General J. Stanley Pottinger of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice demanded an equitable change that would fulfill the intent and letter of the law.

The result was that two historically Black, minority-majority districts were specifically created by court order to end the practice of voter dilution—a violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, particularly Section 2, which prohibits voting practices or procedures that discriminate based on race. Thanks to Palmer, Square, & Whitacker, since 1976, the City of Tyler’s Districts 2 and 3 have ensured minority representation on the City Council.

But now, in 2024, District 2 faces a significant electoral challenge from Stephen Dinger, a white candidate who moved into the area from Houston less than ten years ago. This challenge illustrates the serious implications of potential changes in minority representation in District 2 when it was specifically designed for this purpose. Here’s a more specific analysis of this scenario:

Point 1: A Dinger Win Will Erode Democratic Integrity on City Council

The upcoming runoff election between Stephen Dinger and Petra Hawkins, the African-American candidate in Tyler, a city with structured districts for minority empowerment, could impact the democratic integrity of the City Council. Historically, such districts were established to correct imbalances and ensure all community groups had a voice in local governance. But if Dinger succeeds, those imbalances return. A shift toward representation that does not reflect the district’s 67% demographic majority of minorities will undermine the foundational principles of equitable representation on the City Council. (1)

Point 2: Dinger Becoming A Councilman Could Cause Legal & Constitutional Challenges

The district’s original creation nearly 50 years ago under judicial oversight was meant to address the 130-year historical disenfranchisement of Black communities. Any significant shift away from minority representation might not only reverse these gains but could also trigger new legal challenges from Tyler’s minority community. (2) These could involve allegations of undermining the Voting Rights Act, potentially leading to costly and divisive future litigation for the city. (3)

Point 3: Dinger Would Not Represent Minority Policy Priorities

District 2’s Representatives To Date. Will Dinger Be Among Them?

Minority representatives like candidate Petra Hawkins often bring attention to issues that affect their communities disproportionately, such as housing, gentrification, and policing reforms. The election of Dinger could lead to shifts in policy priorities that may not align with the needs of the minority-majority constituents, exacerbating social inequities. (4)

Point 4: Dinger’s Possible Win Would Increase Social and Racial Tensions

The political dynamics in Tyler could come to reflect larger national issues of racial tension and conflict, as witnessed during the removal of Confederate statues and the Black Lives Matter protests of a few years ago. A reduction in minority representation on the City Council could exacerbate these tensions, despite attempts to improve race relations, leading to increased alienation among the district’s minority populations and, potentially, to wider civil unrest. (5)

Point 5: Dinger Will Have A Negative Impact on Community Trust and Cohesion

Minority trust in local government is crucial in effective governance and community cohesion. When residents see their identities and interests reflected in their representatives, trust increases. Conversely, the potential reduction of minority representation with Dinger’s election could decrease community trust, hindering cooperation with local authorities and reducing civic engagement. (6)

Point 6: Dinger’s Possible Election VIctory Could Impair Long-term Democratic Health

The Tyler Courier-Times · Sunday, May 23, 1976

The long-term health of democracy in Tyler relies on its ability to be responsive and adaptable to all its citizens. A decrease in minority representation, from the two current seats to just one, could send a message about the inclusivity and fairness of the political system, potentially dampening future civic engagement and participation across minority communities. (7)

Conclusion

The electoral challenge posed by Stephen Dinger in District 2 of Tyler, Texas, serves as a critical case study of the broader implications of diminishing minority representation in areas where it has been judicially mandated to correct historical injustices. Dinger’s candidacy threatens to unravel decades of progress toward racial equity and democratic integrity within a district specifically designed to empower the Black community. This not only risks a return to imbalances that the district was created to eliminate but also sets a troubling precedent that could fundamentally alter the political landscape, with significant repercussions for democratic governance and social equity.

To counteract Dinger’s campaign and solidify the hold on this crucial seat, the minority community in Tyler must mobilize and rally with strategic and unified action. 

Sources:

1. Rovny J. Antidote to Backsliding: Ethnic Politics and Democratic Resilience. American Political Science Review. 2023;117(4):1410-1428. doi:10.1017/S000305542200140X.

2. Schuit, Sophie, and Jon C. Rogowski. “Race, Representation, and the Voting Rights Act.” American Journal of Political Science 61, no. 3 (2017): 513–26. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26379507.

3. "The Voting Rights Act: Historical Development and Policy Background." Congressional Research Service (2023). https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R47520.

4. Carew, Jessica . "Minority Political Engagement and Representation in the United States". In obo in Political Science. 10 May. 2024. https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199756223/obo-9780199756223-0128.xml.

5. Banaji, Mahzarin R., et al. "Systemic Racism: Individuals and Interactions, Institutions and Society." Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, vol. 6, no. 1, 2021, pp. 1-21,  https://doi.org/10.1186/s41235-021-00349-3. 

6. Arant, Regina et al. “Acceptance of Diversity as a Building Block of Social Cohesion: Individual and Structural Determinants.” Frontiers in psychology vol. 12 612224. 4 Mar. 2021, doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.612224.

7. "The Impact of Voter Suppression on Communities of Color." Brennan Center For Justice. 10 Jan 2022, https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/impact-voter-suppression-communities-color.