The Issues
McClain Junior Lobbyist Group (MJL) focuses on issues that most impact the Black community in South Carolina.
Voting Rights
Prior to the Supreme Court Case Shelby County v. Holder in 2013, South Carolina was among the 9 states placed under section 4 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which identified states with habitual histories of voter discrimination and suppression against minorities. Since this provision was struck down, South Carolina has continuously chipped away at minority voter rights with gerrymandering, at-large voting in majority minority districts and through the packing and cracking of predominately minority districts.South Carolina also disenfranchises residents convicted of felonies while they are serving time in prison, or on probation or parole. According to ACLU, Black voter represent 64% of the people disenfranchised by this policy, while only representing 27% of South Carolina's voting population. MJL is committed to fighting against legislation that seeks to suppress the minority vote in South Carolina, and advocate for fair district maps that do not dilute or pack votes to favor one party, class, or race over another.
Gun Violence
A South Carolinian dies from a gun related death every 14 hours according to the Center of American Progress, with gun violence being the number one cause of death among Black youth in South Carolina.
Currently, South Carolina sits at number five for the states with the highest amounts of mass shootings in the United States in 2022 according to the Gun Violence Archive.
South Carolina also ranks ninth-worst in the U.S. for firearm homicides with gun deaths and injuries cost South Carolina $14 billion each year, of which $371.9 million is paid by taxpayers according to Everytown.
The overall rate of firearm homicide in 2020 was 22 per 1,000 residents, but among Black South Carolinians it was 35.4 according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Between the years of 2001 and 2010, 5991 South Carolinians died from gun violence, which is 15% more than all of the U.S. combat deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan war combined, according to the Center for American Progress.
During the 2020-2021 legislative session, South Carolina passed open carry, which caused widespread discourse among law enforcement, faith leaders, and concerned citizens who largely opposed the passage of this legislation. As gun violence continues to overrun the Black Community, MJL is committed to aiding in the creation of legislation that curtails gun violence and ensures safer communities for Black Youth.
Women's Reproductive Rights
South Carolina is expected to pass a total ban on abortion during the 2023 legislative session. During the 2021 legislative session the Fetal Heartbeat bill which bans abortion after 6 weeks or when a heartbeat is found was successfully passed, but blocked by the courts in South Carolina. Currently South Carolina ranks 42nd in k-12 education, 41st in children’s wellbeing, 8th highest in maternal mortality, and 41% of children raised in South Carolina are being brought up in single-parent homes, which is 6% higher than the national average. South Carolina Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Review Committee released a report in 2020 finding that between 2016 and 2019, there were 27 maternal deaths, 55% of which were found to be preventable. According to a 2021 study from Duke University a total ban on abortions would increase pregnancy- related deaths by 7% and by 2028 it would increase to 21% with African Americans experiencing the greatest increase of 33%. MJL is committed to fighting against restrictive legislation that seeks to strip women of their bodily autonomy, and further health disparities between Black and White women in South Carolina.
The Issues
McClain Junior Lobbyist (MJL) Group focuses on issues that most impact the Black community in South Carolina.
Abolition of the Death Penalty
South Carolina is known for holding the record of executing the youngest person in the history of the United States. Sentenced to death by electric chair, George Stinney,(14), was executed for the murder of two white girls. Stinney was later exonerated 70 years later in 2014. In 2022 Richard Moore was scheduled to be the first person executed by firing squad in South Carolina, after the hold on executions was lifted. The South Carolina Supreme Court granted Moore a temporary stay of execution, as the fight to abolish the death penalty in South Carolina continues. One third of defendants who are given death sentences have their sentences overturned. In Appellate court many are found not guilty or their cases are completely dropped based on the underlying statute being unconstitutional. People of color have accounted for a disproportionate 43 % of total executions since 1976 and 55 % of those currently awaiting execution. Furthermore, as of October 2002, 12 people have been executed where the defendant was white and the murder victim black, compared with 178 black defendants executed for murders with white victims. MJL is committed to aiding the creation of legislation that abolishes the practice of capital punishment in the state of South Carolina.
Prison Reform
As of 2021 there are 38,000 people behind bars in South Carolina. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, South Carolina has an incarceration rate of 678 per 100,000 people which is a higher rate than any other democracy in the world. Black South Carolinians are heavily overrepresented in prisons and jails with Vera.org reporting Black inmates making up 60% of the prison population in 2017 while only being 29% of the states total population. South Carolina was given a failing grade by the Prison Policy Initiative in September 2021 for its response to the coronavirus in prisons due to South Carolina releasing fewer people on parole in 2020 than they had in 2019, and approved a smaller percent of parole applications. South Carolina is also one of 13 states that did not implement any policies to accelerate releases, promote medical parole or compassionate release during the pandemic. MJL is committed to decreasing the amount of Black South Carolinians in jails and prisons, and aiding in the creation of legislation that improves conditions behind bars for inmates and their reintegration into society following their release.
Hate Crimes
South Carolina is currently one of two states in the U.S. that have no hate crimes legislations enacted, with the second state being Wyoming. Legislators have been pushing to get hate crime legislation passed since 2015 following the Charleston Massacre. The bill is named after South Carolina State Senator Clementa C. Pinckney, who served as Pastor of Mother Emanuel AME Church, and was killed during the shooting. If this legislation passes in the 2022- 2023 legislative session, South Carolina will become the 48th state to pass hate crimes legislation. Those who violate the bill will be fined up to 10,000 dollars and face an additional sentence of up to five years. MJL is committed to promoting and advocating for the passage of the Clementa C. Pinckney Act and ensuring the protection of all South Carolinians against crimes committed due to their race, religion, sex, gender, or disability.
