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Tahrohon Wayne (T.W.) Shannon, who was Oklahoma’s first African American speaker of the House, is pushing back on President Barack Obama’s pessimistic outlook for minority voters following the Supreme Court’s Wednesday ruling reshaping the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Where Obama saw the court “abandoning” principles of equal participation, Shannon believes the ruling further pushes race out of American politics, highlighting his own story as evidence that minorities don’t need special treatment to win office.
“This idea that you must have a racially drawn district in order to win and compete is just nonsense,” Shannon, who is currently running for lieutenant governor, said.
In its 6-3 decision delivered along ideological lines on Wednesday, the court struck down Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District, which was redrawn in 2024 to have a predominantly black electorate. The court also ruled that states may not use race to either draw districts that disenfranchise voters or help minority communities support their preferred candidates.
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T.W. Shannon, former speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, left, pictured alongside former President Barack Obama, right. (T.W. Shannon, Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Obama, reacting to the decision on X, called the ruling disastrous for minorities.
“It serves as just one more example of how a majority of the current Court seems intent on abandoning its vital role in ensuring equal participation in our democracy and protecting the rights of minority groups against majority overreach,” Obama wrote.
Shannon disagreed fiercely, arguing that the former president’s framing would only inflame “racial division.”
“What the Supreme Court really did is say that you can’t fix discrimination by discriminating against people. Race should not be a deciding factor when it comes to redistricting,” Shannon told Digital.
“The entire country is just kind of tired and disappointed in the Obamas and their constantly whining about how awful and racist America is,” Shannon added.
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Former President Barack Obama during a campaign event on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
While Democrats argue the ruling could be abused to dilute minority voting power under the pretext of nonracial factors, Shannon says his experience shows candidates can succeed regardless of how districts are drawn.
“When I was elected, I was 27 years old, to the Oklahoma House of Representatives, I was elected in a majority-white district. They elected me overwhelmingly. I was the first Republican to win my district,” Shannon said.
“And then when I got to the legislature, a predominantly white legislature elected me to be the leader of the Oklahoma State House of Representatives.”
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The sculpture As Long as the Waters Flow by Allan Houser stands in front of the Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma City, Okla. (Visions of America/Universal Images Group/Getty Images)
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Shannon noted that he still believes racism exists in America, calling it “sin” that is tied to the human condition.
“The things that made this country great are three. I call them the three C’s. It’s capitalism, it’s the Constitution, and it’s Christianity. The way you fix racism is by having more believers exercising the freedom that exists within Jesus Christ. That’s the only way I know to fix racism,” Shannon said.
