Dear voters: Keep raising your voices in 2024

From the time I could talk, I was loud and opinionated, especially about the rights of those disenfranchised and pushed to the margins of society.& Though not calling it democracy back then, I believed being heard by the powers-that-be would make a difference. My adamant pitch and passion was always met by opponents bent on silencing and shutting me down.& Mary-Pat Hector, CEO of the student and youth activist organization, RISE, says we must “raise our voices for ownership of our civic life.” One hurdle after another, this Black girl-child coming of age in the deep South eventually realized going it alone to get results was an impossible feat.& I found my tribe — a chorus of like-minded voices — all screaming synchronously at the top of our lungs. Together, we unharnessed the secret to being heard, fighting back, and making an impact.& & In the “off-year” election year of 2023, the primal scream of voters reverberated. The message was simple. They’ve had enough of being dismissed, denied and deceived.& The stunning wins for the abortion rights movement in ruby-red Ohio, deep-purple Virginia, and light-blue Pennsylvania were not about party or candidate victories. It was a full-throttle response to disinformation...