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Political Impact |
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In Summary
Joe Reed has served as a delegate to the
Democratic National Convention eight (8)
times; he served as Chairman of the Alabama
Delegation during the 2000 Democratic
National Convention in Los Angeles. He is
Chairman of the Alabama Democratic
Conference (ADC) and Vice Chair of the
Democratic Party for Minority Affairs, and
he was National Co-Chair for the Committee
of Educators for the Humphrey/Muskie ticket
in 1968.
At at Glance
Addressed Democratic National Convention in
1972 and 1984.
Delegate, Democratic National Conventions,
1968, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988,
1992, 1996, and 2000, he chaired the Alabama
Delegation. In 2004, he served as vice
chair. In 2008, he served as secretary.
Former member, Democratic National Committee
(DNC) for eight years.
Recognition for Education
In 1975, Joe
Reed led the efforts to get equitable
representation for blacks on the Montgomery
City Council.
His efforts
resulted in four (4) blacks of nine (9)
being elected. He served on the Montgomery
City Council for 24 years.
As a city
council member, initiated a program to
ensure every woman in Montgomery gets free
mammograms to detect breast cancer as early
as
possible.
As a city
council member, led the effort to establish
an indigent primary health care center in
Montgomery County to ensure that the poor
would have minimum health care
opportunities.
Due largely to his fervent pursuits, Alabama
now has more black elected officials, per
capita, than any state in the nation.
Coordinator of the committee for the
appointment of blacks to judgeships in the
Federal Judiciary. This committee is largely
responsible for the numerous judicial
appointments made by President Jimmy Carter.
In 1977, led a successful campaign to get
President Jimmy Carter to appoint two black
United States Marshals in Alabama – Rufus
Lewis in the Middle District and Tyree
Richburg in the Southern District.
Influential in the appointment of two black
federal judges in Alabama for the first
time. The Honorable U. W. Clemmons and the
Honorable Myron Thompson.
Drafted and successfully pushed through the
Alabama Legislature Act No. 84-389,
requiring Boards of Registrars in Alabama to
appoint at least one Deputy Registrar for
each precinct in the State of Alabama to
register people to vote at “anytime.” He
persuaded Governor George C. Wallace to sign
it. This law has made it easier and has
caused more blacks to register to vote in
Alabama than any law since the 1965 Voting
Rights Act.
Drafted numerous
single member district plans for local
government in Alabama, resulting in more
majority blacks being elected to city
councils and county commission, and
representation of school board members in
the history of Alabama.
In 1983, drafted the first Alabama
Legislative Redistricting Plan that
successfully passed the Alabama Legislature
and was sanctioned by the Federal Court and
the U. S. Justice Department. Under this
plan, black representation increased in the
House of Representatives from 13 to 19 and
the Senate from 3 to 5.
He coordinated
the Alabama Campaign for Walter Mondale,
Presidential bid in 1984.
In 1985, drafted a plan which provided for
two majority black district on the
eight-member State Board of Education, which
resulted in Alabama electing its first two
blacks on the State Board of Education since
1874.
Through negotiation and litigation (Dillard
v. Crenshaw County), at-large elections in
Alabama have been virtually eliminated at
the city council, county commission, and
members of county school board levels. In
1988, Alabama added over 250 new3 locally
elected officials.
In 1993, again
showing that the “pen is mightier than the
sword” and taking advantage of the 1983
amendment to the Voting Rights Act, he again
drafted a reapportionment plan that resulted
in black representation increasing from 19
to 27 in the House and 5 to 8 in the Senate
making Alabama the only state in the nation
where the Legislature reflects the racial
population of the state.
Initiated legal action that brought about a
successful challenge of discrimination in
the appointment of blacks as poll officials.
This lawsuit led to a federal judge ruling
that blacks be appointed as poll officials
to reasonably correspond to the black
population in the county and precinct. Over
3,000 blacks are now serving as poll
officials in Alabama.
Initiated a challenge of at-large elections
in Alabama at the local level.
Drew original
Congressional plan that resulted in Alabama
gaining a majority black Congressional seat
which is now known as the Seventh
Congressional District.
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