A crowd of about 75 students gathered next to the Levi Watkins Learning Center on election day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, as they rallied to “March to the Polls.” The march, led by senior finance major Tyrin Moorer, started at the Levi Watkins Learning Center and concluded at the Shuttlesworth Dining Hall.
The students were joined by members of the university’s administrative staff, Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Malinda Wilson Swoope, Ph.D., President Quinton T. Ross Jr., Ed.D., and special guest speaker Sheyann Webb-Christburg, who was named by Martin Luther King Jr. as the youngest freedom fighter of the American Voting Rights Movement.
Christburg, who participated in the Voting Rights Movement as a young girl, spoke to the crowd about the importance of voting. She recalled her experiences marching from Selma to Montgomery in 1965, where she witnessed violence and suffering as people fought for the right to vote.
“Those people were courageous,” Webb-Christburg said, reflecting on the traumatic events of Bloody Sunday. “I remember trying to run home with tear gas in my eyes when the late Hosea Williams picked me up and I said, ‘Put me down, you’re not running fast enough.’”
Christburg, who was only 7 years old at the time, reminded students that despite the progress made in the last 60-plus years, there is still much work to be done.
“It’s important for young people, especially college students, to know their history,” she said. “To even be here today to vote is a privilege. You are the voices of hope, the vessels of change and our future’s entrusted peace and progress. So, go to the polls, vote and continue to stay involved in voter education.”
Moorer encouraged the crowd to take action.
“This is a day we will never forget,” Moorer said. “History is going to be made, and there is no better place to be than at Alabama State University. We have to vote like we’ve never voted before. It’s time to do our civic duty. Education is on the ballot; our lives are on the ballot.”
Swoope introduced Ross, who emphasized the importance of voting.
“Alabama has elected me to the state Senate for four terms,” Ross said. “Your vote matters. You need to make your voice count today. We are going to make history.” The crowd erupted in cheers as Ross continued.
“We’re going to march, cast our votes and then watch the election results later this evening. We should never let an opportunity to vote pass us by. They’re not like us. We understand the blood, sweat and tears that went into giving us the right to vote and today, we are going to make sure that opportunity counts.”
Participants of the march included the Mighty Marching Hornets drumline, university cheerleaders and the Divine Nine organizations. The students marched from the Levi Watkins Learning Center to the Dunn-Oliver Acadome, a symbolic route that celebrated both the historical significance and present-day power of voting.
