The Fight for Political Representation: The Use of the Voting Rights Act and the Federal Court System by Black Plaintiffs in Henrico County, Virginia

Abstract

There has been an abundance of written work on the historic fight for black political equality in southern urban areas. However, almost no scholarly work exists on the fight for black political equality in the rapidly expanding southern suburbs. This article analyzes the rise of the black population and its fight for political representation on the local governing board in Henrico County, a large suburb of Richmond, Virginia. The article details the increase in the black population in Henrico County from 1950 to 2000 and provides a descriptive analysis how black plaintiffs used the Voting Rights Act in a redistricting suit against the county in 1988. Many arguments made by the defendants and the plaintiffs are similar to the fierce civil right battles, that occurred during the Massive Resistance era in the 1950s and 1960s in Virginia. However, what is unique about this case is that it occurred in the late‐1980s and early‐1990s in an expanding suburb.