As midterm elections approach, theLubbock branch of the NAACP hosted its "Own Your Power" voting rights event this month to encourage teens and young adults to learn about the generations-long struggle
that secured their right to vote.
Held at MCM Elegante in Avenue Q, the event began with a free dinner, followed by a welcome and opening prayer from Lubbock branch NAACP President Milton Lee.
“In a lot of different places, people are being denied their voting rights, and we want people to know that you own the power of your vote, and your vote matters,” Lee said.
After a welcome and prayer, Charlotte Dunham, chair of the Political Action Committee of the Lubbock NAACP Branch, spoke about the history our ancestors faced to secure the right to vote.
“My story really is about how far we've come, how far we do not come, and how far we may fall back if we don't vote,” Dunham said.
Dunham said voter suppression has been used to keep political power in the hands of a select few while weakening the voices of marginalized communities.
“People have to be engaged. They have to step up, and I know it's discouraging. I've spent years registering voters tabling for NAACP and other organizations, and I can't begin to tell you how many times people say ‘Why bother?’” Dunham said.
Dunham shared voter turnout statistics from the 2024 presidential election and the Democratic and Republican primaries, noting that voter participation among the voting-age population did not surpass 50%.
“The Constitution was written only to give the vote to rich white men; you had to be a property owner, you had to be white to vote.” Dunham said. “So we have a long history that we don't talk about, where women had to struggle for the right to vote, where Blacks or indigenous people had to struggle for the right to vote.”
Shelia Patterson Harris, former Lubbock City Councilwoman, took the stage and made the event’ closing remarks.
“Don't tell me you don't have a reason to vote. There's something.” she said. “There's always something going on, a stance that someone has that should invite us to support them or steer us away from them.”
She said she wants to vote to help create a better future for the generations of families who come after her.
During the presentation, Patterson Harris highlighted the history of voting rights in Lubbock, particularly Rev. A.W. Wilson, pastor of Bethel A.M.E. Church, who became one of the first Black candidates to run for Lubbock City Council in 1964.
“Because he was concerned about the way things were or were not, he had the gall to step up and say, ‘I'm going to put my name in the hat for an opportunity to represent the people who I have contact with,’” she said. “It was placed in his heart to run for the position of city councilman.”
She urged the younger generation to be engaged and encourage friends their age to get out to the polls when it’s time to vote
Brooklyn Duvall, the young student whose letter to U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockettin February prompted the congresswoman to add a pit stop in Lubbock on her "Congress, Culture and Community" tour, attended the event with her mother, Veronica Duvall.
“Everybody had to work, or we had something going on, but we were going to make time to come,” Brooklyn Duvall said. “I think it was important for me to come because I think that my voice is very impactful for kids my age, and what I learned here, if I go forth and spread the word, I think it can reach more people.”
Veronica Duvall said it was important to attend the event in an effort to break the cycle.
“Even like my parents, maybe they voted occasionally, but sometimes they just don't know, and it's our job to make sure that people get the word out and get people involved and make sure they know that their vote matters,” Veronica Duvall said.
She said she learned at the event that Lubbock's City Council was majority-white until Maggie Trejo and T.J. Patterson were elected in 1984, marking a significant step toward broader representation in city government.
Veronica Duvall shared feeling passionate, thinking about all the things the generations before her went through to secure her right to vote at the polls.
“I just think that it's important for everyone to know how important their vote is because whether you like it or not, the people we vote into office basically dictate everything,” Brooklyn Duvall said. “It's those leaders that you elect in to office; those leaders that you vote for that are the people that are deciding things that will hurt you and will help or hurt you in your community.”
Sofia Bueno is a 2026 summer reporting intern for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal and a journalism student at Texas Tech. Have a news tip? Email the A-J at newmedia@lubbockonline.com.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Lubbock NAACP voting rights event stresses education, history
