STONECREST, Ga. — Maggie Green heads to the polls in Stonecrest in part to pay homage to her ancestors. From stories of past struggles that included name-calling, intimidation and voter suppression to the relative simplicity of casting her vote in the present, Green looks at voting overall through the lens of time.
"I didn't have that privilege when I was a young girl growing up in Mississippi," Green said. "My mother and father didn't have that privilege, and I cry because it was a struggle for them to vote. I'm a sharecropper's daughter. I came from that era where my parents and everybody in the community would leave the cotton field, go to the church and talk about their rights."
Both presidential candidates will look to the pews this election season to drive people to the polls. Churches, especially Black churches, have historically played a role in educating Black voters and getting them to the ballot box. Reverend Dr. Jamal Bryant, senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, said he was contacted by the campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris about visiting his church Sunday.
"We are welcoming Kamala Harris as vice president and not as a candidate," Bryant said. "We have a moral, biblical and spiritual responsibility to let the community know what's at stake and what's on the line."
According to Bryant, Harris plans to speak about breast cancer awareness in her capacity as vice president. However, less than three weeks away from election day, Harris is bound to pitch her presidential platform to voters. Her stop at New Birth is one of several planned trips to Georgia ahead of November 5.
Former President Trump spoke at a Black church in Detroit, Michigan, earlier this summer. Michigan, like Georgia, could be one of the few states that ultimately decides the winner of the 2024 presidential election. Bryant said he would welcome former President Trump to his pulpit. There has been a recent trend of both candidates vying for the vote of Black men specifically.
Caleb Gordon understands the role the church has played in elections over time. The new father of a three-week-old baby, Genesis, said his vote comes down to which candidate will provide a better future for him and his family.
"Black men couldn't always vote at one time," Gordon said. "I think that's even more reason why we should vote and take advantage of it. Whether it's Democrat or Republican, I still love my brothers the same way. Whether they choose to vote or not to vote, that's their decision. I don't look at people any differently because of how they vote."
Maggie Green knows about the sacrifices made so voters could stand in line and make their voices heard. She said the important part is that people go out and vote.
"Your vote does count," Green said. "I thank God for Martin Luther King, Medgar Evers and John Lewis. When they got out, protested and marched. They even came to our town, and they got us legalized as registered voters. They died for us. So get out, go and vote. It’s your privilege, it’s your right."