A Fannie Lou Hamer Season...

Friend…

Y’all know I love a Simple Reminder, and as I sat with yesterday’s election results, I couldn’t help but think about the words of Fannie Lou Hamer: “I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.”

Based on what I woke up to on this day, I am of the full belief that we’ve understood exactly what to do with our Fannie Lou Hamer season. As a people, we’ve shown that we’re tired of being sick and tired.

And baby, I am SO proud to be a Black woman, a North Carolinian, and a Georgian… AND A VOTER!

There’s something about watching people exercise their power that will always move me, especially knowing the history of what it took for so many of us to have that power in the first place. And while election results don’t tell us everything about why people voted the way they did, they do remind us that participation has consequences, that leadership can change, and that the people have a voice in determining who represents them.

But I’ve also been thinking about what comes after the excitement of election night.

Because Fannie Lou Hamer didn’t simply give us language for our exhaustion. She gave us an example of what it looks like to turn that exhaustion into organizing, advocacy, and a commitment to making sure people who had been excluded from the political process could participate in shaping their own futures.

And I honestly think that’s the part of her legacy I want us to remember.

I’ve had the privilege of sitting on the other side of the dais, and if serving in elected office taught me anything, it’s that getting elected and governing are two very different responsibilities. Winning an election is one moment. Listening to residents, making difficult decisions, being transparent, and remaining accountable to the people you serve is the work that follows.

The same is true for us as constituents! We cannot expect an election to do all the work of creating the communities we want to live in. We still have to pay attention to what’s happening in our neighborhoods, understand the decisions being made on our behalf, and be willing to participate even when there isn’t a candidate asking for our vote.

And friend, that participation cannot be conditional on whether we like the person sitting in the seat (I’m even saying this so myself).

We should be asking questions of everybody, we should expect transparency from everybody, we should hold everybody accountable to the responsibility they’ve accepted. That’s not opposition. That’s civic engagement!

I also hope we remember that the people who came before us didn’t organize, sacrifice, and fight for access to the ballot simply so we could participate once every few years and then return to being spectators.

They understood that political power had to be exercised, protected, and organized.

And perhaps that’s what has been sitting with me most as I reflect on this moment. Being sick and tired can make us recognize that something needs to change, but it takes intention to decide what we’re going to do about it. It takes community to sustain that work, and it takes a willingness to remain engaged long after the moment that first moved us to action.

So whether you’re celebrating the results, feeling cautiously optimistic, or still processing what they mean, I hope you give yourself permission to feel whatever this moment brings while remembering that there’s still work to be done.

Because the goal was never simply to be heard on Election Day. The goal is to build communities where people continue to be heard every day after it.

And as someone who believes deeply in the responsibility of intentionally showing up for the places and people we love, I hope we never lose sight of that.

Do me a favor… don’t forget to celebrate the moments that remind you why showing up matters in the first place.

With love + intention,
Shakeyla M. Ingram

P.S. I want to leave you with this... Take a moment to listen, and reflect. 🧡