Chappell, a native of Albuquerque, had just finished several books about voting rights and found a map showing the legislative districts in his home state. He was particularly drawn to Senate District 22. This section runs 120 miles south from the Delta fields to the wealthy Jackson suburbs. He began to note the racial characteristics of the voting precincts within the district. He looked at the demographics of similar precincts within neighboring districts. He knew he was on to something when he read the Voting rights Act of 1965. This required states such as Mississippi to approve changes to voting laws. Chappell stated that there was a clear demographic line that could be drawn to allow you to move the population in a way that is advantageous to white candidates. The Voting Rights Act is revolutionary because it is about results and not intent. You only need to prove that the results are racially discriminatory. It doesn’t matter if you say “Oh, those people are racist.” You can just say, “It could be better.” Chappell spent a total of ten hours working on his computer, redecorating the district to conform to federal law. This meant that some precincts from Senate District 22 were replaced with precincts from neighboring districts. He combined the precincts from separate Senate districts and color-coded each precinct on a spreadsheet to track which precincts were moving to a new area. He made sure that each new district was compact and maintained its size and demographics in accordance with federal and state standards. Three Senate districts were affected by Chappell’s map. Chappell stated that it was simply a matter of putting together all the pieces from the precincts in a way that makes sense. After spending two nights on the project, Chappell emailed his research and findings to Beth Orlansky (the advocacy director at Mississippi Center for Justice). A few weeks later Jackson attorney Rob McDuff used Chappell’s research to find plaintiffs and draft an federal lawsuit. Orlansky stated that John was “absolutely the initiating factor” in getting them to do this. He had done research, pulled data, and looked at numbers. Rob McDuff, with whom we work closely, has a long history in redistricting cases. Rob looked at the document and thought, “Yeah! There’s something there.” Chappell’s hard work seems to have paid off. U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves ruled this month that Senate District 22 currently held by Buck Clarke (R-Hollandale), violated the Voting rights Act. He ruled that it “doesn’t afford the plaintiffs an equal opportunity to participate and elect candidates of their choosing.” Reeves directed the Legislature to redraw that district by April 3. The 5th U.S. Reeves’ decision was upheld by the Circuit Court of Appeals days later. Reeves’ ruling gave candidates until April 12 to apply to run for the affected districts. The state Senate approved Tuesday a plan that moves African American voters from Delta-based district 13 to District 22, in compliance with the federal court order. This plan must be approved by both the House and the federal courts. The proposal, which could be adopted by the House as soon as Wednesday, will see the African American voting-age population in District 22 rise from 50.77 percent up to 58.13%. The black population in District 13 will drop from 69.27 percent down to 61.84%. Five precincts will be moved from District 22 in Bolivar County to District 13, and three from Sunflower County to District 13. Clarke, a white senator representing District 22, chairs the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee. Clarke announced that he will run for the office of state treasurer earlier in the year. He said this was partly inspired by the federal lawsuit. Senator Pro Tempore Gray Tollison (R-Oxford), who presented the proposal was supportive of it. Sen. Willie Simmons (D-Cleveland), who represents District 13, also supported the plan. Clarke isn’t running for reelection. He will instead run for Central District Transportation Commissioner. His daughter is running to fill the District 13 seat. Simmons stated that he believes an African American candidate could win in both of the redrawn districts. There are 15 districts with a majority of black voters in the 52-member Senate, which includes District 22. Plaintiffs claimed that the District 22 was too long and lacked a base, making it difficult for African Americans to run for office. Currently, 13 African Americans are serving in the Senate. Joseph Thomas was one of the plaintiffs in this lawsuit. He ran for and lost the District 22 post election and is qualified to run again for the position this year. Chappell is involved in campus activism and was one of the students who conceived a plan to move a Confederate monument to campus. He also majors in Arabic and international studies. He will graduate in May and pursue a master’s in foreign service at Georgetown University. Although Chappell is a native of New Mexico, he expects his career will be international-oriented. However, he said that Mississippi has influenced his outlook: “I feel like Mississippi owes me a lot and want ways to give back.” He added, “There was always some hope that this could all go to the end, but it has been amazing to see it progress. It’s amazing to think that it began working late at night on a laptop, drawing the districts by hand with a marker on a piece of paper I had printed at home. Chappell said, “It also proves that sometimes you just need to do it.” Let’s just say that I am in the right place at right time. I also know some of the right stuff. You should put in some effort, give it my best, and then let someone else take it to the end. Contributing: Bobby Harrison