You Want Next? Your Turn Is Coming

One day, this fight will become your fight. There will come a time when the voices you hear today will grow silent. The shoulders carrying the weight of this community will eventually grow weary. The question is not whether that day is coming. The question is: Who will be ready to take their place?

To the young people of Columbus, Georgia: We need you. We need you to get involved. We need you to become informed. We need you to understand your history, know your community, attend city council meetings, ask questions, challenge injustice, and stand for what is right—even when standing alone isn't popular. Because eventually, you have next.

I can't fight this fight forever. This publication cannot carry this responsibility forever.

We need more than the familiar faces who have carried this fight for years. We need more than me. and this publication. We need more than Rev. Johnnie Flakes. We need more than Tracy Mosley. We need more than Ed DuBose. We need more than State Representative Carolyn Hugley. We need more than Pat Hugley Green. We need more than Rev. Valerie Thompson. We need more than former State Representative Calvin Smyre, We need more than Congressman Bishop. We need more than former State Senator Ed Harbison. We need more than Bennie Newroth. We need more than Marvin Broadwater Sr. We need more than the dedicated men and women who faithfully show up at City Council meetings, community forums, and press conferences to confront the injustices our community faces every day in Columbus. A movement cannot survive on the shoulders of a faithful few. It requires an entire community willing to stand up, speak out, and step forward. The next generation must recognize that the responsibility to defend justice, protect our neighborhoods, and strengthen our democracy belongs to them as well.

Every generation has had its freedom fighters. Every generation has had men and women willing to sacrifice comfort for change. The question is: Who will your generation produce? Will it be you?

We need a generation of young brothers and young sisters who understand that true leadership is not measured by popularity, but by purpose. We need Millennials. We need Generation Z. We need young professionals, entrepreneurs, educators, artists, ministers, and students who refuse to stand on the sidelines while others decide the future of their city.

To every social media influencer, content creator, and digital voice: your platform is far more than a place for likes, comments, and followers. It is a modern-day microphone, a digital pulpit, and a powerful instrument for change. Use your influence to educate, inspire, organize, and mobilize. Let your voice become a clarion call for justice, equality, and civic engagement. The same technology that can make something go viral can also awaken a generation, challenge injustice, and help transform an entire community. The future isn't waiting for someone else. It's waiting for you.

Don't spend your life scrolling past the very issues that will one day affect your children. Don't complain about the community if you're unwilling to help improve it. And whatever you do...Don't stay home on Election Day.

People marched so you could vote. Some were beaten so you could vote. Some lost jobs, endured jail cells, and even gave their lives so your voice could be heard through a ballot. Don't dishonor that sacrifice with apathy.

Don't give up on Black excellence. Don't give up on Black intelligence. Don't allow anyone to convince you that your vote doesn't matter or that your community isn't worth fighting for.

And please...Don't sell your future for temporary comfort. If you can stand in line for a Popeyes chicken sandwich...If you can camp overnight for the newest pair of sneakers...If you can wait hours for a Jay-Z and Beyoncé concert...Then surely you can stand in line to vote. Your future deserves at least that much.

Columbus is changing. The decisions being made today will determine what your neighborhoods look like tomorrow, what opportunities exist for your children, and what kind of city you will inherit. History is not made only by those whose names appear in textbooks. History is made by ordinary people who decide that today is the day they will no longer remain silent.

So study. Serve. Speak up. Show up. Vote. Lead. Because one day, someone will look to your generation the way many now look to ours. When that day comes, I pray they won't ask, "Where were they?" Instead, let them say, "They answered the call."

The baton is still in our hands. But not forever. Your turn is coming.