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Roxy D Hall Williamson poses outside of a new mural commemorating Juneteenth in Galveston on April 4, 2022.
Redistricting Texas

A GOP power grab shatters 30 years of political progress for Black voters in Galveston County

Republicans dismantled the only Galveston County commissioners precinct in which voters of color held political clout. It’s a major blow for Black and Hispanic voters who had been building political momentum.

Attendees listen to traditional music during a Cinco de Mayo parade and festival on April 30, 2022.
Leticia Solis gets close to the group of horses after they finished riding in a Cinco de Mayo parade in Texas City on April 30, 2022.

Fighting the past

Commissioner Stephen Holmes in his office on April 21, 2022, in Texas City.
Galveston County commissioners Darrell Apffel, Joe Giusti, County Judge Mark Henry and Commissioner Stephen Holmes pose for a group photo during a Galveston County Commissioners Court meeting in Galveston, TX, on Monday, April 4, 2022.

Republican power play

A statue of a returning Confederate soldier on Thursday, April 21, 2022 in Galveston, TX. Known as The “Dignified Resignation,” the monument has stood in front of the Galveston County Courthouse since 1911. Commissioner Stephen Holmes made a motion to have the statue removed in 2020 but it was not supported by any other commissioners.
District 1 councilmember Sharon Lewis poses outside of her home on April 21, 2022, in Galveston, TX.
County Judge Mark Henry greets attendees at a Galveston County Commissioners Court meeting in Galveston, TX, on Monday, April 4, 2022.
People play basketball at Carver Park on  April 21, 2022, in Texas City.

Anger and disappointment

Lucille McGaskey poses for a portrait outside of Galveston Houston Authority, where she works, on April 22, 2022.
Roxy D Hall Williamson stands next to a historical marker commemorating Juneteenth in Galveston, TX, on Monday, April 4, 2022.

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