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Rep. Jolanda Jones: ‘We’re Not Going Anywhere’ as Texas Democrats Fight Racial Gerrymandering

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Texas State Rep. Jolanda Jones said she isn’t budging—not until Republican lawmakers end what she calls a blatant effort to strip voting power from Black and Brown communities.

Published

1 year ago

August 7, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

Texas State Rep. Jolanda Jones said she isn’t budging—not until Republican lawmakers end what she calls a blatant effort to strip voting power from Black and Brown communities.

“We’re all safe and we ain’t going nowhere,” Jones declared during an interview on the Let It Be Known news show, just hours after a bomb threat forced an evacuation of her hotel. “This is about racism. This is about taking Black folks back to before we had voting rights and before we had the Civil Rights Act.” Jones, a Democrat elected to the Texas House in 2022, blasted the GOP-led redistricting push as a targeted attack on communities of color. “Let me be clear,” she said. “The only way they get the five seats that Trump wants is if they go find Black people and Brown people where they are concentrated in Houston and Dallas and crack our communities and put us in districts with a whole bunch of white folks. It’s that simple.”

She called the effort “racism 101” and rejected criticism that she’s playing the race card. “I grew up playing Spades. I’m from Texas. And guess what? I’m going to pull that card from the bottom of the deck, the top of the deck, the middle of the deck,” she said. “If I have to pull it from those French cut sections, I’m gonna pull a race card every single solitary time—as long as you’re a racist. If you don’t want me to pull a race card, then stop being racist.” Jones is part of a group of Texas Democrats who have once again broken quorum, denying the Republican majority the minimum number of lawmakers required to conduct legislative business. She said the GOP may have the votes, but without a quorum, they have no power. “There are 150 of us in the state House. It takes 76 votes to pass anything. There are 88 Republicans and 62 Democrats. The key is they have to get 100 people there to conduct business, and they only have 88,” she explained. “So, they need 12 of us to show up. That’s not going to happen.”

In response to Governor Greg Abbott’s threat to arrest the Democratic holdouts, Jones, a lawyer for more than 30 years, dismissed the possibility. “There is no warrant that goes outside of Texas. Most warrants in Texas only go 150 to 200 miles. Let somebody arrest me. I’m suing them,” she said. “Trump ain’t the only person who can sue people.” She said quorum-breaking isn’t a crime, but a tool the minority party has when it’s otherwise powerless. “They’re mad and they’re whining because they have the numbers to pass it if we get back—but we’re not coming back,” she said. “Y’all might have the numbers, but we got the power.”

Jones spoke of the long history of resistance that informs her actions—from the Montgomery Bus Boycott to the civil rights marches across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. “I’ve been Black all my life. It’s been a struggle all my life. But I can’t let this struggle stop me,” she said. “I Facetimed with my granddaughter last night. I miss her, but I’m doing this for her.” She called out the national consequences of unchecked gerrymandering, pointing to North Carolina, where GOP redistricting flipped three seats, giving Republicans a narrow House majority. “Congress is the only place that can stop the president. We can investigate him. We can impeach him,” she said. “And every day he’s alive, he’s doing something illegal.” Jones didn’t hold back on Trump, calling him “racist” and warning voters to believe what he says. “He told y’all what he was gonna do. When somebody tells you who they are, believe them,” she said. “Who thought he’d be deporting U.S. citizens? Who thought a backpack that used to be $15 now costs $50?”

While focused on the quorum break, Jones confirmed she is running for Congress in Texas’s 18th District, a seat long held by Democrats. Her run was planned before the current standoff, she noted, and she’s continuing to serve her constituents remotely while fighting on the front lines of the redistricting battle. “They’re saying we abandoned our duties. Boy, bye,” she said. “My district office is working. I’m in constant communication with my staff. We didn’t abandon anything.” Jones credited her public education, legal background, and life experiences, including witnessing her father’s suicide and losing multiple family members to violence, as shaping her resilience and commitment to public service.

“Any day above ground is a good day. God helped me see through the tragedy of my life. And I think God made my life really hard for this moment in time where I would not be sad,” Jones exclaimed. “If I can survive that, these people threatening to arrest me or calling me names—sticks and stones.” She urged the public to support the fight by donating to http://www.riggedredistricting.com and her campaign at http://www.jolandajones.com. “I’ll take anything—a dollar, five dollars. I’m the same wherever I go. I ain’t scared,” she said. Jones, the first openly LGBTQ Black member of the Texas Legislature, said she represents more than just a political district.

“If I go to Congress, when Medicaid or Medicare ain’t working, or your private insurance isn’t working, it’s a problem,” she said. “We paid into it. How dare you, Donald Trump, take what we’ve paid into. You are literally stealing from our savings. This is no different than Enron.” As the fight drags on, Jones said she and her colleagues are prepared to stay away for as long as it takes. “We’ll take it day by day. It’s not the best situation, but we’ve overcome more as Black people,” she said. “And I’ve been Black all my life.”

Stacy M. Brown

Posts by Stacy M. Brown

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Smooth Ride! Car Suspension & Comfort Tested #shorts

Smooth suspension meets surprisingly spacious legroom. Experience true comfort on any road!

Published

1 month ago

October 4, 2026

Oakland Post

Car suspension test demonstrating a smooth ride, comfort features, and handling on various terrains.

Experience the difference smooth suspension makes on rough streets. Check out the surprisingly good second-row legroom – test it yourself for true comfort.

Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/l9Z571za5Gc

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61 years since Selma, Houston leaders say the bridge remains to be crossed

61 years after Selma, Houston leaders say the fight for equality continues. The issues that sparked the marches still impact Black Americans today.

Published

1 month ago

October 4, 2026

Oakland Post

Houston leaders discuss the ongoing struggle for civil rights 61 years after Selma, emphasizing the need for continued action.

It has been 61 years since the Selma marches. But political leaders in Houston say that the issues protesters were marching for still plague the lives of Black Americans.

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Here is what you need to know about finding unique white elephant gift ideas that everyone wants to steal

The best white elephant gift ideas are funny enough to get a reaction but useful enough that people actually want to steal them. Look for gifts with a surprise factor, broad appeal, an inside joke, and just enough personality to spark some friendly competition. The wrapping paper comes off, the room goes quiet for half […]

Published

1 month ago

October 4, 2026

Oakland Post

The best white elephant gift ideas are funny enough to get a reaction but useful enough that people actually want to steal them. Look for gifts with a surprise factor, broad appeal, an inside joke, and just enough personality to spark some friendly competition.

The wrapping paper comes off, the room goes quiet for half a second, and suddenly everyone wants the same gift. That is the sweet spot. A great white elephant pick should make people laugh, lean in, and start plotting their next steal before the turn is even over.

Should a White Elephant Gift Be Funny or Useful?

A white elephant gift can be funny or useful, but the strongest choices usually give people a reason to laugh and a reason to keep the item. A practical gift with an odd design, unexpected feature, or playful theme can get a reaction without becoming something the recipient immediately wants to give away.

The right balance depends on the group. Close friends and family members may enjoy a ridiculous gag gift because they already understand one another’s sense of humor.

A workplace exchange, neighborhood party, or mixed-age gathering usually calls for something with broader appeal. In those settings, humor works better when it is built into an item people could still use afterward.

It also helps to think about how quickly the gift will make sense once it is opened. A strangely shaped kitchen tool, oversized mug, quirky desk accessory, or unexpectedly fancy everyday item can create an immediate reaction. Guests understand the joke right away, while the item still has enough practical value to attract a steal.

Pure gag gifts can be harder to pull off. Something that exists only for the punchline may get a big laugh during the reveal and then sit untouched for the rest of the game. If the goal is to bring one of the gifts everyone keeps fighting over, usefulness gives the joke staying power.

Memorable Present Ideas: Creating Inside Joke Gifts

Inside joke gifts can make a white elephant exchange feel much more personal, especially when most of the group shares the same stories. The trick is choosing a reference that people will recognize quickly instead of building the entire joke around something only two guests understand.

You can turn a memorable vacation mishap, office catchphrase, family story, or long-running group joke into the theme of the gift. A personalized comic book can work especially well when it turns familiar people or a ridiculous shared moment into part of the story.

Think carefully about who the joke involves before ordering anything permanent. The gift should make the person feel included in the fun, not singled out for the wrong reason.

Can You Bring Something You Already Own?

Holiday gift exchanges can be a good place to re-gift something you never used, especially if it is unopened and clean.

The following can all work if they still look presentable:

A duplicate kitchen gadget
An untouched game
A decorative item
A sealed gift set
An unopened candle
A new travel accessory

The goal is to give the item a second chance, not use the exchange as an excuse to clear out damaged or unwanted clutter.

Take a close look at the packaging before wrapping it. Faded boxes, missing pieces, visible wear, or anything that looks obviously used can make the gift feel careless.

Wrapping Budget-Friendly Gifts

Wrapping can make gifts more entertaining before anyone even knows what’s inside.

Misdirection works especially well for fun party games. Put a small gift inside a much larger box. Use packaging from an unrelated household item.

Add harmless weight so guests cannot guess what they are holding. The reveal becomes part of the joke without changing the gift itself.

You can also lean into the theme of the exchange. Bright paper, oversized bows, reusable bags, or deliberately over-the-top wrapping can make an ordinary item feel more memorable. If the gift itself is already funny, simple wrapping may work better so the surprise stays hidden until the last second.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Picking Last an Advantage in White Elephant?

Picking last can be an advantage because you get to see almost every gift before making your move. Instead of choosing blindly from the remaining wrapped presents, you can steal something that has already caught your attention if the rules still allow it.

That advantage depends on the house rules. Some games limit how many times a gift can be stolen.

Others lock an item once it reaches a certain number of steals. If the most popular gifts are already unavailable, the final player may have fewer strong options than expected.

The first player can also get another turn at the end in some versions of the game. That rule can balance things out, since the person who started with the least information may get one final chance to steal.

How Do You Plan White Elephant for a Large Group?

For a large white elephant exchange, set a firm spending limit and establish the stealing rules in advance.

Create a clear turn order before the game begins. Drawing numbers as guests arrive can save time once everyone is ready to start.

Keep the number of steals per gift limited so the game does not drag on. It also helps to have one person track which creative holiday presents have been stolen and when they are locked, especially if dozens of people are participating.

Can You Play White Elephant Virtually?

A virtual white elephant exchange can work over a video call, with one person keeping track of the turn order and each steal. Guests can either mail physical gifts ahead of time or use digital gifts that can be delivered once the game ends.

Set the spending limit and stealing rules before everyone joins. It also helps to decide how gifts will be revealed and who is responsible for sending each one afterward so the exchange does not become confusing.