Every day I try to do three things – read a Bible verse, a James Baldwin quote and try to deliver a Hip Hop quotable. All three are intertwined in my interactions and conversations with that I may encounter during my daily walk.

As the midterm elections dawn upon our nation, I find it necessary to fight the spirit of apathy those sadly has been all too familiar in the aftermath of voting statistics of my fellow Black voters. I recall the first time I ever heard the word ‘apathy’ when my African American Studies professor wrote it in super-large font on the chalkboard. This was 1988.

He went on a historical journey on the violent plight that African Americans endured to cast their ballot and the sudden decline of Black voters’ post-Civil Rights era at that time. I promised myself from that day on that I would never succumb to not participating in our nation’s democratic process.

So now I preach – from my soapbox. James 4:17 says, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” During the 2024 presidential election, Texas had approximately 2.9 million Black eligible voters, the largest such population in the United States. The sad state of apathy led to roughly 1.2 million eligible Black Texans (both registered and unregistered) not voting in the 2024 election for a measly rate of 57.7%. I’m not saying my brothers and sisters committed a sin, but failing to make their voices heard is the equivalent of not doing the right thing.

In an excerpt from James Baldwin’s The Price of the Ticket: Collected Nonfiction 1948–1985, he suggests that “a Black person in this democracy is certain to endure the unspeakable and the unimaginable . . . [and] . . . many . . . are ruined” by harmful experiences with government. Baldwin argues that during the first 19 years of life, a Black child in the United States must confront and absorb the systemic burden, historical trauma, and daily realities of anti-Black racism. I often wonder how my life might have unfolded if I had not joined the Army and traveled the world. Despite knowing the history of my grandparents who lived during Jim Crow Louisiana, would I have been reluctant to vote and immersed myself in apathy – having grown up in the Ronald Reagan presidency.

Thank God for Hip Hop! Public Enemy’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and Fear of a Black Planet stayed in constant rotation my personal theme music during my early 20’s. In an interview with Spin magazine Chuck D stated, “Welcome to the Terrordome what does it mean? It means the 1990’s are coming, if we as a people do the right thing, we’ll be all right, if we do the wrong thing the black situation is out of here at the end of the decade.”

The lyrics from those two albums resonated deeply with my conscience and inspired a call for action to use my pen, pad and voice to speak unapologetically about the conditions of Black people in America. Most importantly, I understood the power that came with my ballot. There would be no apathy, nor could I allow my brothers and sisters to sit silent.

So, tomorrow morning – Lord willing, I’ll read my scripture, read a prophetic Baldwin quote, and rock a hip hop quotable – and be ready to vote in the coming days ahead.

Editor’s Note: Donald Sparks is a retired U.S. Army Sergeant Major who served nearly 31 years as a combat journalist and photojournalist. He has earned numerous citations including a Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Joint Meritorious Service Medal and Army Commendation Medal with Valor Device. He has deployed to Operations Desert Shield/Storm, Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Inherent Resolve (ISIS).