By: Terry Allen
Big Mama didn’t have to raise her voice to make her point. She’d look you straight in the eye and say, “Baby, closed mouths don’t get fed, and nobody’s coming to open a door you won’t knock on!”
An African proverb asks, “Unless you call out, who will open the door?”
Well, America, HOLLER! THEN SHOW UP AND VOTE!
I don’t care what the polls say! Pollsters don’t elect presidents, governors, or anybody else. PEOPLE DO! Polls are estimates, not guarantees. Stop letting somebody else’s predictions determine your participation.
Vote with the urgency you’d have if JESUS HIMSELF were on the ballot! Not because Christ belongs to any party, but because His teachings demand justice, compassion, truth, and love for our neighbors. Faith without action is dead (James 2:17). Our convictions must travel beyond Sunday morning!
Meanwhile, misinformation is running wild. AI-generated deception, manipulated videos, misleading headlines, and political propaganda are confusing voters. Check your sources! Don’t let somebody’s social media foolishness steal your voice.
Early voting is our opportunity to move beyond talking and start DOING. Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z—everybody has an assignment!
Here’s how we move:
- Vote early!
- Organize family voting circles.
- Share verified election information.
- Help neighbors overcome voting barriers.
- Celebrate participation and encourage others!
BIG MAMA’S TAKE FIVE, GIVE FIVE PLEDGE!
TAKE FIVE PEOPLE TO THE POLLS! Challenge each to encourage five more, and keep that commitment growing!
Five becomes 25. Twenty-five becomes 125. One hundred twenty-five becomes 625!
That’s community power!
Our ancestors marched, sacrificed, and sometimes died for voting rights. We owe them more than excuses.
Don’t wait for somebody else to open democracy’s door!
VOTE NOW! TAKE FIVE! GIVE FIVE!
Post your voting success and email your story to the newspaper. Let’s celebrate participation!
Big Mama said, “Unless you call out, who will open the door?”
ONWARD AND UPWARD!
Terry Allen is an NABJ award-winning Journalist, DEI expert, PR professional, and – Vice President at FocusPR, founder of the charity City Men Cook, and Dallas Chapter President of NBPRS.org
