It still gives me a little chill every time I go to the polls and see my name on the ballot. I was just 28 years old when I first ran for state House and won, becoming the first African American to represent my district in the working-class Mon Valley. During that election, I was at times surprised by the warm reception I received when knocking on voters’ doors. More than once I heard from an older resident who was glad to see someone younger stepping up and running for the seat.
This May I once again had the privilege of casting my ballot, but this time it was different. It was different because my two-year-old daughter Harper joined me in the voting booth to see how our democracy works, up close and personal. I don’t know if she’ll remember this exact moment, but I hope she grows up knowing that someone who looks like her can serve in the Commonwealth’s second-highest executive office.
It’s critical for Black boys and girls to see themselves reflected in the halls of power and at the ballot box. But MAGA politicians are trying to roll back the clock and eliminate districts that have sent Black leaders like Jim Clyburn to Congress. They’re attacking Black political power by rigging the maps in Alabama, Louisiana and Tennessee—and maybe even more states soon.
We’ve been here before.
My grandparents came to Pennsylvania from the South to make a better life for our family. When they made their journey, they sought refuge from the suffocation of Jim Crow and the sting of segregation. They found opportunity in southwestern Pennsylvania; one grandfather was a steel worker, and the other was a railroad foreman. I don’t think in their wildest dreams they would have ever imagined that their grandson would one day become the Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, their new home state.
However, I did not get to where I am alone. I stand on the shoulders of giants, people like Congressman Clyburn and the late, great Congressman John Lewis—the youngest person to speak at the 1963 March on Washington. In his speech, Lewis urged those in attendance to keep marching “until the revolution of 1776 is complete.”
As we celebrate America’s 250th birthday this year, it’s painfully obvious that the revolution is still incomplete. After decades of struggle and organizing, the civil rights movement achieved a historic victory—the Voting Rights Act, which effectively ended Jim Crow. However, billionaire elites are now using the Supreme Court to tear out the heart of the VRA and take us back to a time when Black voters are silenced.
They’re doing this because they know that when Black folks show up and make our voices heard, they lose. When Black voters have power, we all get better health care, better schools and more opportunity.
Despite the blatant power grab, we still have tools to fight back—if we choose to use them.
The Shapiro-Davis Administration is working to protect Pennsylvanians’ freedom to vote and make sure their votes are counted. In 2023, we launched automatic voter registration to streamline the process and make it more convenient for eligible Pennsylvanians. We’re taking legal action to challenge the Trump Administration’s unlawful attempt to override states’ powers to run elections. The Trump Administration wants to pick and choose who is allowed to receive a mail-in ballot—but they don’t have that power. That’s why we’re taking them to court.
Voting is the first step, but it’s not enough. We need to organize in our communities. We need to educate our friends and loved ones about what’s at stake in this election and beyond. We need to use our economic power to lift up Black-owned businesses and support local nonprofits and community organizations.
When we do this, we’re building a better nation for ourselves and our communities and the generations to come. We’re building the world that I want my daughter to grow up in.