As this edition of The Washington Informer hitsthe stands, millions of citizens have cast theirballots,made their voices heard and begunreflecting on the outcome of the election.The atmosphere thiselection season hasbeen heavy. We feel the weight of history, thetension of a divided nation and anxietyabouttomorrow. In this issue, I remind Gen Z votersof the past struggles that secured this right.
I voted early, which reminded me that votingisn’t a mere political calculation. For peopleof faith, it is aprofound act of stewardship, atool for community survival and an expressionof our deepest moral values.
For Black Americans, low-income familiesand marginalized communities, the ballot is asacred inheritance.The right to vote was nota gift; it was paid for in blood, sacrifice andthe determination of people whorefused toaccept second-class citizenship. We mustnever forget that for decades, our ancestorsfacedsystemic terror just to register. Theywere met with violent police dogs, high-pressure fire hoses, mandatoryliteracytests designed to make them fail and theconstant threat of white supremacist violence.
Historians estimate that dozens of documentedfreedom fighters were murdered duringthe voting rightscampaigns of the 1950sand 1960s, with countless other deathsunrecorded or unpunished. Millionsmoreendured brutal beatings and dehumanizingjail cells. The protections we rely on todaywere forged inthe heat of protest, throughthe 1961 Freedom Rides, the dangerous 1964Freedom Summer registrationdrives andthe brutal crossing of the Edmund PettusBridge during the Selma-to-Montgomerymarcheson “Bloody Sunday” in 1965.
Today, we stand on the broad shoulders of giantswho put their lives on the line so we could walkintoa voting booth with our heads held high.
We remember Fannie Lou Hamer, asharecropper’s daughter who was brutallybeaten in a Mississippi jailfor her voting rightsactivism and famously declared that shewas “sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
We remember John Lewis, who, as a studentleader, had his skull fractured by police batons inSelmaand spent his life protecting what he called”the most powerful nonviolent tool we have.”
We honor Jimmie Lee Jackson, a 26-year-old church deacon and veteran who was shotand killedby an Alabama state trooper whileprotecting his family during a peaceful march.
We honor Medgar Evers, the NAACP fieldsecretary who was assassinated in his drivewayfor his civilrights and voter registration work.
Lastly, we honor Viola Liuzzo, a mother offive who traveled from Detroit to Alabamato shuttle Selmamarchers before she wastargeted and killed by Ku Klux Klan members.
When we view the ballot box through the lensof history and faith, the narrative shifts frompartisanwarfare to spiritual responsibility.Voting becomes a tangible way to loveour neighbors as ourselves.
The policies shaped by our votes directly affectthe vulnerable, the poor and the stranger. InMicah6:8, we are asked: “What does the Lordrequire of you but to do justice, and to lovekindness, andto walk humbly with your God?”Notice the action words. We are commanded todo justice. Castinga ballot with the collectivecommunity in mind helps fulfill that requirement.Similarly, Proverbs 29:2teaches, “When therighteous are in authority, the people rejoice.”Righteousness in public policy isaboutfairness, equity and protecting human dignity.
No matter what the election results show, ourassignment remains unchanged. If your candidatewon,your job now is to hold them accountableto justice and mercy. If your candidate lost,your job is toremain resilient, keeping yourhands on the plow to protect the vulnerable andspeak truth to power.Our ultimate hope doesnot rest in any political party or elected official.
If you have already voted, I commend youfor honoring the ancestors. If you did notcast your ballot,I urge you to reflect on thiselection not with fear or cynicism, but as areminder of our ongoingsacred responsibility.
For information on local election results andfuture voting opportunities, consult yourofficial local electionauthorities. Continueto engage in the democratic process with aheart centered on love for yourcommunity,carry the names of those who died foryour right to be there, and let us resolveto bindup our nation’s wounds together.
Please do not think this inhumane treatmentis over. Though this column reminds readersof the past,everything is not perfect yet.
According to civil rights groups and a report bythe organization JULIAN, which documentedmore than70 cases of suspected modern-daylynchings across seven Southern states between2000 and 2025,systemic violence persists.Furthermore, independent tracking by groupssuch as Black Lives Matterof Atlanta reportedlyrecorded a recent uptick between March 2025and August 2026, finding at least22 Blackindividuals dead under suspicious or unusualhanging circumstances across the country.
Each vote helps bring about the necessarychange, and that change begins at theballot box. Makethat change!
Lyndia Grant is a speaker/writer living in the D.C. area. Her radio show, “Think on These Things,” airs Fridays at 6 p.m. on 1340 AM (WYCB), a Radio One station. To reach Grant, go to her website, www.lyndiagrant.com, email lyndiagrantshowdc@gmail.com or call 240-602-6295. Follow her on X @LyndiaGrant and on Facebook.
