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U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Alabama, was joined by U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, Sunday in Montgomery to urge women voters to support Shomari Figures in the race for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District.
The congressmembers were joined by attorney Tamika Reed, wife of Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed, and Kalisha Figures, wife of Shomari Figures, to round out the “Women for Figures” panel at Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baltist Church.
After a legal battle over the percentage of Black citizens in the district, a federal court redrew the map to give Black voters a better opportunity to elect the candidate of their choice. This has created the only competitive congressional race in the state between Figures and the Republican nominee Caroleene Dobson.
Crockett urged that if Kamala Harris wins the presidency, she will need Democratic control of the House and Senate to bring her policies to reality.
“I need better co-workers,” Crockett said. “I need people that actually want to work for the people. Right now, this has been the most unproductive Congress in the history of Congress.”
Sewell emphasized the roles of Montgomery and Selma in the Civil Rights movement and said the new district needs to help continue that trend of making progress.
“It’s high time thar we get more representation, fairer representation in Alabama, in Congress,” Sewell said. “So I am thrilled I didn’t have to be bludgeoned on a bridge. I just had to give up Montgomery County for progress, and progress we will have if you go to the polls.”
The panel emphasized the future of abortion rights. The U.S. Supreme Court rolled back a federal right to abortion access in its landmark Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health in a major victory for Republicans.
”You don’t have to be pro-choice,” Crockett said. “You can do whatever you want to with your uterus or the fact you don’t even have one. We’re not asking you to agree.”
Kalisha Figures said childbirth is scary and noted the travel times to hospitals that deliver babies for rural Alabamians.
“I have three times given birth,” she said. “It is scary, on face value, if you are healthy and well. It is scary. So to not have access to that care, to have to drive 60, 90 minutes in labor to get care, these are the issues we’re talking about when we talk about the state of women, right in Alabama, in this district.”
