Ronald Chisom (also known as Ron Chisom) is an
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
author,
civil rights activist
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...
and a
community organizer
Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other or share some common problem come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest.
Unlike those who promote more-consensual community bui ...
who was involved in fighting for justice and equality for
marginalized communities in the United States.
He was a co-founder of
People's Institute for Survival and Beyond.
and a medical researcher at
Louisiana State University Medical School. Born in 1941 in
, Chisom grew up in a segregated society that was affected by racism and discrimination.
Family
Chisom is married to Jerolie Encalade Chisom with whom they have one daughter, Tiphanie Chisom-Eugene.
The People's Institute for Survival and Beyond
Chisom was involved in the civil rights movement in the 1960s,
working alongside leaders such as
Saul Alinsky
Saul David Alinsky (January 30, 1909 – June 12, 1972) was an American community activist and political theorist. His work through the Chicago-based Industrial Areas Foundation helping poor communities organize to press demands upon landlords ...
to advance the cause of racial justice. In 1980, Chisom and Dr. Jim Dunn co-founded the
People's Institute for Survival and Beyond (PISAB), an organization that pursued anti-racism education and community organizing.
The organization held trainings and workshops in communities, churches and schools.
Chisom v. Roemer
In 1986, Ronald Chisom filed a case to challenge the
at-large voting system used in
Louisiana's 4th congressional district
Louisiana's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The district is located in the northwestern part of the state and is based in Shreveport- Bossier City. It also includes the cities of Minden, De ...
against Louisiana Governor
Buddy Roemer
Charles Elson "Buddy" Roemer III (October 4, 1943 – May 17, 2021) was an American politician, investor, and banker who served as the 52nd Governor of Louisiana from 1988 to 1992, and as a member of the United States House of Representatives fr ...
, the
Louisiana Secretary of State
The secretary of state of Louisiana (french: Secrétaire d'État de la Louisiane) is one of the elected constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Louisiana and serves as the head of the Louisiana Department of State. The position was created ...
, and other state officials. In the case, Chisom argued that the at-large voting system violated the
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights movement ...
, which prohibited voting practices that discriminate based on race.
The
US District Court
The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...
for the
Western District of Louisiana ruled in favor of Chisom, finding that the
at-large voting system had a discriminatory effect on African American voters and violated the Voting Rights Act. The court ordered that the 4th congressional district be redrawn with single-member districts to provide better representation for African American voters.
In 1991, the case was appealed to the
U.S. Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
, which reversed the district court's ruling. The Supreme Court held that the plaintiffs had not met their burden of proof in showing that the at-large voting system was intentionally discriminatory.
Following the ruling, the federal court adopted the ''Chisom Consent Decree 1992'' to allow Black voters in the state to have an equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice to the Louisiana Supreme Court. In 2022, Louisiana AG’s moved a motion to dissolve Chisom Consent decree.
Awards and honors
* The 2013 Human Services anti-racism Award
* Senior fellow at Ashoka's Global Academy
* The
Bannerman Fellowship
* The Petra Foundation Award
* The Pax Christi Bread & Roses award
* The Tenant Resource Center Achievement Award
*
Thomas Merton Award in 1997
Publications
* ''Undoing Racism: A Philosophy of International Social Change · Volume 1'' (1997)
* ''Undoing Racism: An International Philosophy of Social Change by the People's Institute for Survival and Beyond'' (1996)
References
Further reading
*
Chisom v. Roemer ''by'' ''John Paul Stevens -'' Syllabus
*
Chisom v. Roemer Dissenting Opinion ''by Antonin Scalia''
*
Chisom V. Roemer ''Opinion of the court''
*
Chisom v. Roemer ''Dissenting opinion by Kennedy''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chisom, Ron
1941 births
Living people
African-American activists
Community organizing
American civil rights activists
Medical researchers