Louisiana Map Reduces Scotlandville Black Voting-Age Share

Scotlandville, a nearly all-Black community of about 10,000 people in Baton Rouge, has again been placed in a majority-white congressional district after Louisiana redrew its map following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act. The district’s Black voting-age population fell from 53% to 25%, sharply weakening Democratic Rep. Cleo Fields’ reelection prospects. Fields, who grew up in Scotlandville, says he will not run again and plans to return to the state Legislature. Residents fear losing a representative they believe understood the community’s history and needs, amid broader Southern redistricting battles over Black political representation.