By Bren Dubay
June 2024
Living in Sumter County, Georgia, one is surrounded by those who lived and suffered through racial segregation and discrimination daily. They vote. They fought for it. They put their lives on the line for the right to it and haven’t given up the fight for equality and justice, no matter how many setbacks. There is sadness, though, when they hear the despair of younger people: “Nothing changes. Why should I vote? I don’t like either of them.”
Our friend Rutha Mae Harris will tell you things have changed because she lived through the days before they did. Born in nearby Albany, Georgia, Rutha was a founding member of The Freedom Singers, formed in 1962 during the Albany Movement, a part of SNCC’s (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) organizing. The group sang to raise awareness and funds for the Civil Rights Movement. Their singing was a rallying cry.
Rutha often comes to Koinonia to have lunch with us, and always, we ask her to sing. Her voice has not diminished one iota — she still brings down the house with the power and intensity of her singing. Our hearts are stirred. From stirred hearts, she wants us to be propelled into tangible actions.
One can hardly walk down the street in Americus without meeting someone who met danger head-on in the fight for the right to vote. They will tell you they don’t want to go back. “Already been there. No more.”
“Vote!” cries Rutha. “And if you can’t vote for, then vote against! But vote.”
We’re going to vote, and we’ll be giving rides.
