Governor Kay Ivey and Alabama lawmakers have just stripped Birmingham of majority control over its own water utility, a move that reeks of political overreach and racial discrimination.

With the signing of SB330, control of the Birmingham Water Works Board—serving 770,000 people—has been handed to the governor, lieutenant governor, and surrounding counties. These areas hold only a small share of the utility’s customers, but now get an outsized voice in decisions that directly affect the people of Birmingham, most of whom are Black.

This law wasn’t passed to improve infrastructure or bring fairness, it was passed to weaken Birmingham’s voice, take away local authority, and shift power to majority-white suburbs that don’t bear the brunt of rate hikes or service disruptions. It echoes a dark history in the South where majority-Black cities have repeatedly been stripped of their rights by state lawmakers under the guise of reform.

Mayor Randall Woodfin and Birmingham city officials are already fighting back in federal court, calling out this takeover for what it is: racial discrimination.

We stand with the people of Birmingham in demanding the immediate reversal of this law. Let the court hear our voices, not just the voices of those in power. Restore fair representation on the Birmingham Water Works Board. Protect the right of cities to govern themselves.

Don’t let this become another chapter in a long legacy of injustice.

Photo: (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)