Gerrymander Jewelry Is Fighting Racial Redistricting with a Line of Necklaces - TeenVogue.com
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Designers near and far are doing their part to encourage Americans to not only get out and vote, but also to educate themselves on the issues upon which they’re voting, including gerrymandering.
It's an issue that needs to be payed attention to, especially during a time when the control of the House and Senate lie in the hands of the upcoming midterm elections, and one jewelry brand has come up with a creative way to ensure we keep asking more questions about it. Boasting a clever tagline of "When straight lines just won't do," Gerrymander Jewelry is an aptly named line of necklaces that are strung with pendants in the shapes of some of the worst gerrymandered districts in the U.S. Some look like snakes, others have what look to be visible holes in the middle, while more still simply take on shapes that you can’t imagine actually make sense as a single, unified district. (On the company’s website, they explain the point is to have someone look at any of their styles and think, “wait…what?”)
The designs reflect what has been described as "the biggest obstacle to genuine democracy in the United States" by The Washington Post, gerrymandering is the practice of manipulating the size and shape of electoral districts in order to give one party an advantage over another. For example, lines might be drawn to either concentrate opposition party voters together in one district so that their votes would only influence a few seats, or to spread them out within districts where the other party is already locked into power, making it difficult for them to win any elections. Not only does such redistricting disproportionally affect black voters, but it also threatens the integrity and very purpose of our voting system.
At its core, gerrymandering is illegal. Yet depending on what political party controls your state, lines might be pushed and morphed to better the outcome on their behalf. Analysis from the Brennan Center for Justice, NYU Law School's nonpartisan law and policy institute, shows that Republicans took control of approximately 17 seats in Congress in 2016 through gerrymandering.
And Gerrymander Jewelry wants to do something about that. Proceeds of the sales from the line go towards OMGWTF.VOTE, which is a non-profit organization that supports Democratic candidates that are running in key Republican-controlled states. The necklaces retail for $195 apiece (shop them here and there are currently six district-shaped styles to choose from. However, Gerrymander Jewelry gives all shoppers the opportunity to request a one-of-a-kind pendant that will represent their very own gerrymandered district.
It's just one more creative way to start conversations about an issue that needs to remain at the forefront of America's consciousness. Plus, it's a pretty charming one, at that.
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