Dear Pastors: We've Done Our Part. It's Up to You Now.

Early voting ends today, and we at the Courier Eco Latino Newspaper, along with Davis Broadcasting, Inc., believe we have completed our assignment. For weeks, we have informed, educated, interviewed candidates, hosted forums, challenged misinformation, and provided voters with the facts they need to make informed decisions. Now the rest is up to you.

On Tuesday, June 16, Muscogee County has an opportunity to make history. Voters have the chance to elect the city's first Black mayor and potentially place two Black representatives in at-large seats on the Columbus City Council. Whether history is made or opportunity is missed will depend largely on who shows up to vote.

As the old church song reminds us, "If ever we needed the Lord before, we sure do need Him now." But along with prayer comes responsibility.

For generations, three institutions have served as pillars of the Black community: the Black church and the Black press and Black radio. Together, they have informed, inspired, organized, and empowered people through some of the most challenging periods in American history. When others ignored our concerns, these institutions spoke with courage. When others attempted to silence our voices, these institutions amplified them.

Today, their role remains just as important.

Study after study continues to show that Black media provides critical coverage of issues affecting our communities—health disparities, voting rights, economic inequities, education, and public policy. Likewise, every Sunday across Muscogee County, congregations gather and listen attentively to trusted voices from the pulpit. The pastor remains one of the most influential leaders in the Black community.

That influence carries responsibility.

This election is about more than candidates. It is about the future direction of our city. The decisions made by voters on June 16 will impact public safety, economic development, neighborhoods, infrastructure, education, and opportunities for future generations. What happens in the voting booth this Tuesday will help shape Columbus for years to come.

The Black media has done its part. We have provided the information. We have hosted the conversations. We have presented the facts.

In a significant departure from decades of tradition, the Internal Revenue Service announced in 2025 that houses of worship may endorse candidates for public office without jeopardizing their tax-exempt status. Now the Black church can do what it has done throughout history: inform, educate, encourage civic engagement, and help your congregation understand the importance of exercising their right to vote. So feel free with confidence, to speak from your pulpits on Sunday morning sharing your opinion on who are the best qualified candidates without fear of repurcussion.

And let me be clear: this responsibility does not rest solely with the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance. It belongs to every Black church in this community. Every pastor. Every minister. Every congregation that believes faith should be accompanied by action.

The same commitment that drives the Courier Eco Latino Newspaper and Davis Broadcasting, Inc. to report with courage and conviction should inspire our churches to mobilize their members to participate in this critical election.

If we stand together—pew and press, pulpit and paper mixed with Black radio—we can accomplish far more than electing candidates. We can help shape the destiny of our city.

The information has been provided. The ballots are ready. Now it's time to bring the people.