Why Voting Matters: How Four Extraordinary Women Changed My Understanding of Civic Responsibility
- Pamela D. Marshall
- Jul 16
- 8 min read
There is something I want to share with you that may surprise you.
I did not begin voting until I was in my early thirties.
At the time, I was working as a television journalist. I believed my responsibility was to report the news fairly and impartially. No one instructed me to avoid voting. It was simply a decision I made because I never wanted my personal preferences to influence how I covered candidates or public issues.
I was trained during a time when viewers expected the news to present the facts, not opinions disguised as reporting. Words mattered. I paid careful attention to language, avoiding words that could subtly cast a candidate in a positive or negative light. Instead, I focused on accuracy, fairness, and context.
Facts mattered then. They still matter today.
But this choice, this decision to stay on the sidelines of civic participation, eventually revealed something I hadn't fully understood about why voting matters.
The Journalist's Perspective: Facts, Fairness, and Responsibility
Although I chose not to vote during those years, I often volunteered my skills with community organizations conducting voter registration and Get Out The Vote campaigns. I believed then, as I do now, that an informed citizenry is essential to a healthy democracy.
I understood why voting matters at an intellectual level. But understanding and practicing are two different things.
Over the years, my understanding of civic participation has deepened in unexpected ways. Transformative ways. Ways I could never have anticipated when I made that initial decision to abstain from voting.
The catalyst came through my work as an actress and storyteller.
Why Voting Matters: The Women Who Taught Me
I have had the privilege of portraying extraordinary women whose lives remind us that the right to vote was never something to take for granted.
Fannie Lou Hamer: The Courage to Speak
I have stood in the shoes of Fannie Lou Hamer, who endured violence simply because she encouraged others to register to vote.
Fannie Lou Hamer didn't just understand why voting matters—she was willing to bleed for it. She was beaten. She was threatened. She was imprisoned. And still, she asked: "If the Freedom Democratic Party is not recognized, I question America."
When I portrayed her, I realized that understanding why voting matters isn't an intellectual exercise. It's a moral imperative. Fannie Lou's story taught me that voting is an act of defiance against those who would silence us.
Ida B. Wells: Fearless Truth-Telling
I have become Ida B. Wells, whose fearless journalism exposed injustice and challenged laws that denied Black Americans equal protection.
Ida B. Wells understood something profound about why voting matters: the vote is where truth meets power. She exposed lynching. She challenged the systems that protected murderers. And she understood that without the vote, her truth would be ignored.
When I stepped into Ida's voice, I understood why voting matters in ways I never had before. The vote is not just a personal choice. It's a weapon against injustice. It's a tool for change. It's how we move from bearing witness to demanding accountability.
Zora Neale Hurston: Independent Thinking
I have portrayed Zora Neale Hurston, who encouraged independent thinking and believed that Black Americans should evaluate candidates for themselves rather than vote as a single bloc.
Zora taught me something that still resonates today: why voting matters is deeply personal. She refused to be told how to think. She refused to let anyone else define her choices. She evaluated candidates on their merits and made decisions based on her own analysis.
In an era of political conformity and tribalism, Zora's insistence on independent thinking teaches us why voting matters isn't about following orders. It's about claiming our voice.
Anna Murray Douglass: Quiet Strength in Support
I have also portrayed Anna Murray Douglass, whose quiet strength helped sustain Frederick Douglass as he spoke for freedom and equal rights while they lived under the brutal reality of slavery.
Anna taught me that why voting matters extends beyond the ballot box. It's about the communities we build, the people we sustain, the movements we support. Sometimes the most powerful civic participation happens in the quiet moments, the encouragement, the belief, the refusal to let others give up.
Pamela D. Marshall as Ida B. Wells Pamela D. Marshall as Fannie Lou Hamer Pamela D. Marshall as Zora Neale Hurston Pamela D. Marshall as Anna Murray Douglass
What These Women Taught Me About Why Voting Matters
Each woman taught me something different.
Together, they taught me this fundamental truth: Freedom is never sustained by silence.
And that truth changed everything about how I understand why voting matters.
The Question I Still Ask Myself
Sometimes I still ask myself a difficult question: Am I doing enough?
As I continue my work through At The WELLness Network and the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Greater Gainesville Chapter, I have become convinced that the need for civic education is as important today as it has ever been.
The barriers may look different than they did generations ago. We're not facing poll taxes or literacy tests or grandfather clauses. But one barrier remains especially dangerous: believing that our voices no longer matter.
When we convince ourselves that our participation makes no difference, we surrender something precious before anyone can take it away.
This is why voting matters now more than ever.
Why Voting Matters in 2026: The Danger of Silence
In an age of political polarization, voter suppression, and systemic barriers, understanding why voting matters requires us to look beyond ourselves.
Why voting matters:
✓ Every election shapes who has power to make decisions about our healthcare, our education, our safety, our futures
✓ Our silence benefits those who would silence others. When we don't vote, we make room for systems of oppression to flourish
✓ Democracy is not guaranteed. It requires active participation. It withers in the face of apathy
✓ The women who came before us paid in blood and tears for the right we take for granted
✓ Our children are watching. The example we set about why voting matters will shape their understanding of citizenship
✓ Our voices are needed. Not everyone agrees with us, but every perspective matters in a healthy democracy
✓ One vote can change everything. History is littered with elections decided by single votes, razor-thin margins, and moments when people showed up
The "Why We Vote" Campaign
That is why I am so excited about our "Why We Vote" video campaign.
These are not campaign advertisements designed to push a particular candidate or party. They are personal stories of gratitude and responsibility. Stories that remind us that every generation inherits both the blessings and the responsibilities of citizenship.
When one person shares why they vote, they often encourage another person to reflect on their own story. That is how communities grow stronger. That is how civic engagement becomes personal. That is how freedom is practiced.
Because understanding why voting matters requires more than remembering our history. Freedom requires participation.
The Power of Personal Stories
I have watched the stories in our "Why We Vote" campaign move people to tears. I have seen people who thought their voice didn't matter suddenly understand why voting matters. I have witnessed the transformation that happens when someone hears another person's story and thinks: "That could be me. My story matters too."
This is the power of personal testimony. This is why voting matters at the deepest level—because it's not abstract. It's not political. It's human. It's personal. It's about the future we're building together.
A Special Thanks
This month, I want to celebrate the incredible women of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Greater Gainesville Chapter, whose voices are helping educate and inspire our community through the Why We Vote campaign.
My heartfelt thanks go to every woman who shared her story with honesty and courage. Special appreciation to our Public Policy Committee, led by Sister Ivy Bell, for her leadership and commitment to civic education.
These videos remind us that voting is more than an event every few years. It is an opportunity to honor those who came before us while helping shape the future for those who will come after us.
If one story inspires one new voter, then every woman who stood in front of the camera has already made a difference.
This Week's Practice: I invite you to do three simple things this week to deepen your understanding of why voting matters.
1. Watch One Story
Visit our National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Greater Gainesville Chapter "Why We Vote" playlist on YouTube and listen to someone else's story.
As you watch, notice what moves you. Notice what resonates. Notice what makes you think: "I understand that. I feel that too."
Because understanding why voting matters begins with hearing other people's truths.
2. Ask Yourself One Question
Why do I vote?
Your answer does not have to sound like anyone else's. It doesn't have to be eloquent or perfectly articulated. It simply needs to be true.
Write it down. Say it out loud. Sit with it. Because the moment you can articulate why voting matters to you personally, you understand something essential about yourself and your place in this democracy.
3. Share One Story
Forward one video to a friend, family member, church, civic organization, or community group.
Sometimes the most powerful invitation isn't a speech. It's someone's personal story.
When you share someone else's "why," you're doing something powerful. You're saying: "This matters. You should hear this. Your voice matters too."
A Message to Those Who Feel Their Voice Doesn't Matter
If you're reading this and thinking, "But my vote doesn't really make a difference," I want to speak directly to you.
The women I've portrayed—Fannie Lou Hamer, Ida B. Wells, Zora Neale Hurston, Anna Murray Douglass- faced far greater obstacles than we face today. They faced violence, imprisonment, and systems designed to silence them.
And they still believed in why voting matters.
They still participated. They still spoke. They still insisted on being heard.
If they could believe that their voice mattered under those circumstances, what excuse do we have for believing ours doesn't?
Understanding why voting matters means accepting this responsibility: Our silence benefits those who would take our voice away.
Our participation, our votes, our voices, our presence is the only antidote to that silence.
The Ripple Effect
What I've learned from portraying these extraordinary women is that why voting matters extends far beyond Election Day. It's about:
Teaching our children that their voice matters
Holding elected officials accountable
Building communities rooted in democratic principles
Standing up for those whose voices are still being silenced
Refusing to surrender our power before anyone can take it
When we understand why voting matters at this level, we become advocates, educators, and activists not because we're required to, but because we can't not be.
Will you participate and encourage others to participate?
Because democracy is strongest when every eligible citizen chooses to participate.
Together, let us educate and inspire. Let us remind one another why voting matters. Let us build a future where every voice is heard and every vote counts.
Because freedom requires more than remembering our history. Freedom requires participation.
Zora Is Coming to Your City
The journey continues! This August, I'll be taking Zora Neale Hurston on the road to Rochester, Minnesota, with a special performance and book signing at TownePlace Suites Rochester Mayo Clinic Area.
Plans are also underway for an additional appearance in the St. Paul/Minneapolis area, and I'm currently in conversations with a local independent bookstore.
It has always been my dream to introduce new audiences to the brilliance, humor, courage, and enduring wisdom of Zora Neale Hurston. Through my one-woman show, Passion Dey Couldn't Steal, and the When Zora Spoke book series, I hope to inspire others to remember who they are, reclaim their voice, and live the divine blueprint placed within them from the very beginning.
If you have family, friends, book clubs, churches, libraries, or community organizations in the Rochester or Twin Cities area, please let them know Zora is coming. I'd love to see them there!
More details coming soon!
These are more than just books. They are an invitation to stop forgetting yourself.
Remember who you are. Reclaim your voice. Live your divine blueprint.
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