Being that I was born and raised in Alabama, I’ve been feeling some type of urgency to do something about this Senate race in Alabama, and I just didn’t know what to do. Then it hit me, I can use my small platform and write.
When the news first broke about Roy Moore having inappropriate contact with underage girls, I nervously read all of the stories. I did not know what to think, but I just know that it is never all right for a grown man to rob a young girl of her innocence.
The stories continued to unfold, and then when asked when was the last time that he thought America was ‘great’ and according to CNN and other media outlets Moore stated: "I think it was great at the time when families were united — even though we had slavery — they cared for one another.... Our families were strong, our country had a direction.”
Then I started to read even more disturbing things about Moore, and I feel like I want to go to Alabama on Tuesday and go door to door, and take everybody to the polls. We’ve got to stand for the moral integrity of the state of Alabama and our country.
I know there are rural, remote areas where people may not have a car and the polling places are far away, but I desperately want these folks to be heard and vote for the integrity of Alabama and our Country. I know there are people who may not have voted in quite a long time, and they may be a little afraid or intimidated to vote, but I want those folks to speak up for the integrity of Alabama and our country.
Yesterday, in one of my desperate moments, I reminded my eighty-three year old mother to vote.
“Jack, you don’t have to tell me to vote. I was pregnant with Tricia and the bottom of my stomach was hurting, but I still went and did what I needed to do to get qualified to vote.” (Now, my sister whom she was pregnant with is currently fifty-three year olds.) "I’ve been voting every sense.” She went on to explained to “get qualified to vote” she had to fill out some paperwork, and someone had to vouch that she was who she said she was.
“Filling out that paperwork felt like taking a test to me.”
Mom told many more stories about voting, and I anxiously listened and asked tons of questions. Y’all, I wanted to know every single detail.
Still feeling like I needed to do something about this Senate race in Alabama, I stated: “Mom, will you call your sister and nieces and nephews and remind them to vote?”
We hung up, and I felt better!
Today, I read that Senator Corey Booker was at Tuskegee University encouraging students to vote in the upcoming Senate election, and my mind started racing. Yes, there are lots of Black colleges in Alabama and if those students who can vote, would vote, perhaps their voices could make a difference. I picked up the phone to call my niece who is currently a student at Tuskegee to remind her to vote if she can, and I wanted to ask her to remind all of her friends to do the same. However, I put the phone down. (I’m not sure if she has changed her voter registration from her home state of Texas to Alabama?)
My folks in Alabama, I am not sure where you stand on this issue, but I really want you guys to stand for the integrity of Alabama and our country. I do not want to ask folks to do things that I have not done, like drive an old person to the polls. But, please check on your neighbors, talk about the issues, and do whatever it takes to get them to stand for the integrity of Alabama and our Country.
Our country is going through changes, and we all know that change is hard and many of us resist it, because it is hard. But, today we have to face the fear of change and be heard and recognized. I was telling some people that it seems like our country is experiencing a birth, and I believe that if as many of us as possible would search our consciousness and act on it, I believe that what our country gives birth to will be great.
Y’all, it is a great time to be alive, and we cannot be on the sidelines; we need to participate....
Alabama... please show the world that our country's arch is bent toward justice!
VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!
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