We stopped in Greenville at a fast food place for breakfast. We expected to connect with a group from Montgomery at this spot, but they were not there. We soon discovered that they had a flat tire on the way. We left Greenville headed north toward Montgomery on Interstate 65. We did not travel very far before we spotted them on the other side of the interstate. We found a spot to cross over and turned around. We were on our way to make a difference for the better in our lifetime.
Others were there helping with the flat tire so we picked up five persons to complete our delegation. The additional team members had not had breakfast so we returned to the fast food spot. We were already late, but we must feed the hungry. We were on our way to make a difference for the better in our lifetime.
The delegation was 13 strong. It included men and women, children and adults, old and young. We were as old as 79 and as young as 9. Some were retired. Some were unemployed. Some were school children. Some were lawyers. We were all different but united by a common bond. We were on our way to make a difference for the better in our lifetime.
I was driving the van. We were on our way to Pensacola, Fla. I had been to Pensacola many times. In fact, Pensacola is fewer than 30 miles from Baldwin County where I grew up. I had also been there many times since I moved to Selma 45 years ago. Most of our delegation had never been to Pensacola. Many had never been to Florida. But we were one in spirit. We were on our way to make a difference for the better in our lifetime.
We arrived at our destination. It was the Democratic Party headquarters for Escambia County, Fla. We received instructions on registering citizens to vote in the state. The orientation was very thorough. We were given a little written test to make certain that we understood Florida’s requirements for voter registration. We were on our way to make a difference for the better in our lifetime.
Florida is a battleground state for the presidential election. Alabama is not. In every presidential election, Florida seems to be won or lost by a percentage point or so. In 2000, the margin of victory/loss was 531 votes. In 2012, the margin was one percentage point. It is indeed a battleground state. We were on our way to make a difference for the better in our lifetime.
We went to a housing project. We each covered an area. The youth passed out literature as the adults registered new voters or updated registration information for current voters. Twenty-three thousand voters had been removed from the Escambia County voting rolls. We were fighting time because the last day to register to vote was just three days away. We were making a difference for the better in our lifetime.
We broke for lunch. It was provided by businesspersons Georgia Blackmon and Johnny Blackmon. It was a simple but delicious meal. It was just good to see the Blackmons again. They were glad to see us. They were proud to share their hospitality. We were on our way to make a difference for the better in our lifetime.
After lunch, we went to another housing project. Then we went to a housing subdivision. Our voter registration ended for this day. We started back to Alabama but stopped to eat on the outskirts of Pensacola. We also stopped in Greenville to drop off the Montgomery members of our delegation. They had to wait for their transportation to Montgomery. We finally made it to Selma sometime after 9:30 p.m. When we arrived, I went straight to my office to work. We are to making a difference for the better in our lifetime.
This was an initiative of SOS (Saving OurSelves Movement for Justice and Democracy), Alabama New South Coalition (ANSC) and forty-plus Alabama organizations. We call it Operation Outreach. I call it Operation Far Reach. The phrase “making a difference for the better in our lifetime” is a variation of the ANSC motto. We will be going to Florida every weekend until the November 8 election. We are making a difference for the better in our lifetime.
EPILOGUE – It is amazing what good spirits we forge when we go to other places to help make a difference for the better in our lifetime. We don’t even have to go far. This spirit is multiplied when we join with others. That’s what happened on our sojourn to Pensacola, Florida. Please come and share this good spirit as we sojourn over the next three Saturdays.
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