This blog post is dedicated to the remembrance of all those who suffered and died in the name of freedom. I don’t apologize for how sensitive this blog post can be for some individuals, because it is the reality of things. I am truly grateful for the opportunity that I had in late October in 2016, to vote for first time in the presidential election. Forgive me in advance if I don’t remember all the specific details, but I will tell you what I do remember. I lived in the moment, but thank GOD for recollection skills! Anyway, prior to my first time voting, dear only child, I had to register. A little background story first. I wanted to register to vote when I participated in my church’s cotillion for high school seniors(a representative came to register and informed us of the importance of voting); however, because of my age(16), I was unable to.

I registered at my church by filling out an application when I was of age. The process was quite straight forward and shortly after I received my voter’s card in the mail.

Let us fast forward to October 2016. I asked a couple of my classmates if they wanted to vote with me. What better way to vote for first time than to go with people you know to remove all the nervous energy? They agreed, but most importantly, one of them agreed to drive because I strongly dislike driving🤣🤣! I believe we went to Houston City Hall. We definitely went for early voting. I enjoy going for early voting. You can vote anywhere, not just at the location that is close to your house, and the lines tend to be shorter.

I was excited as I stood in line to vote. I just kept thinking if only Harriet Tubman or Madam CJ Walker was alive to see me vote. I think they would be proud of me! I didn’t think it was obvious that it was my first time voting, or maybe I did make it obvious, but I do remember a lady came up to me and asked: “Is this your first time voting”? I smiled and said yes, and she said I could tell😊. I guess my smile and my impatience gave it away. After we voted, we took pictures because such a day needed to be documented. It was October 24, 2016.

For the mid-term election in 2018, I went for early voting and took two other people along with me.  I believe it was at a school.

It was a quick process. Although the next day(November 7th) I was hurt and very sensitive

because the results were reported the day before, I was glad that I had the opportunity to cast my vote and guess what? In October 2019, the following year, I did the exact thing!

Dear only child, voting is an act that you want to make sure you do. When you do so, you are not only carrying out your civic duty and making your ancestors proud (over two centuries of bondage is not a joke), but you should want to do it because your voice is being heard. Yes, I do realize we have an electoral college, but if you don’t vote, you can’t complain when you feel like you’re silenced. For midterm elections, it is very important because you vote for your state’s representatives to become members of the Electoral college. These are representatives that are supposed to be your voice. However, if you don’t vote, are you really being heard? Yes, I know they have their own perspectives, and ultimately it is their decision, but we hope they vote with us in mind. Will you give it a chance? If you have voted before, let me know how your first time experience went or any experience that you remember!

P.S. The song associated with this post is Fight Song by Rachel Platten.