{"id":17810,"date":"2025-11-20T20:19:47","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T20:19:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/?p=17810"},"modified":"2025-11-20T20:20:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T20:20:10","slug":"voices-rising","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/20\/voices-rising\/","title":{"rendered":"Voices Rising"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Donald Perryman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Rev. Donald L. Perryman, Ph.D.<\/em>
\nThe Truth Contributor<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0The next generation doesn\u2019t just want to vote \u2014they want to see leaders who reflect their communities and their realities. <\/em>\u2013 John Della Volpe<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

Brittany Jones\u2019 finish as one of the top two vote-getters in Toledo City Council\u2019s at-large election signals a shift \u2014a generational, demographic, and political transformation underway not only in Lucas County but across the nation.<\/p>\n

Jones\u2019 rise is part of a broader national trend. In Detroit,\u00a0Mary Sheffield, age 38, <\/strong>became the city\u2019s first woman and first Black woman mayor, while\u00a0Dorcey Applyrs<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Sharon Owens<\/strong>\u00a0made history as their cities\u2019 first Black mayors in Albany and Syracuse, New York, respectively.<\/p>\n

And in rural Alabama,\u00a026-year-old Ciara Smith<\/strong>\u00a0was sworn in as the youngest and first Black mayor of Anniston, showing that this next-generation leadership is not limited to major urban centers.<\/p>\n

From metropolitan neighborhoods to smaller cities, young Black women are stepping into power,\u00a0reflecting their communities and reshaping local governance<\/strong>, and voters are loving it.<\/p>\n

It’s Not 2024 Anymore<\/p>\n

Director of the Lucas County Board of Elections, Lavera Scott, offered insight into what this election revealed about voter behavior. \u201cPeople are making more conscious decisions\u2026 After the last election, so many stayed home,\u201d she said. \u201cBut this year, campaigns communicated clearly: if you want your voice heard, you have to show up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Our local results, which Scott discusses, are a microcosm of a national trend: an electorate that understands its voice matters and is determined to exercise it.<\/p>\n

Amy Walter, columnist for the acclaimed Cook Political Report, noted that this voting cycle highlighted \u201csnap-back\u201d shifts not only in heavily minority communities but also in suburban areas and among voters Trump had targeted in 2024, including Hispanic populations and white women. The results indicate that these communities \u2014 motivated by both local concerns and dissatisfaction with the national political climate \u2014 were mobilizing decisively and making their voices heard.<\/p>\n

A Top Vote-Getter With a Message<\/p>\n

When I asked Jones what her first-place finish meant to her personally and to the African-American community, she didn\u2019t speak of triumph. She spoke of responsibility:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is truly an honor\u2026 It shows that the Black vote is just as important and powerful. No demographic should be taken for granted \u2014 especially the Black vote, because we are vocal, influential, and capable of organizing. Personally, it means grit and faith will get you through.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jones also wants to \u201ckeep the vibe alive,\u201d sees her win as a torch-passing moment for others:<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope this inspires young people, women, and people of color to get into politics \u2014 not just running but organizing and managing. We need to be at the table. I especially want to inspire mothers. Having children should not be a deterrent to a woman\u2019s career.\u201d<\/p>\n

Policy Priorities That Reflect the Community<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yet, Jones\u2019 victory signals more than just representation; it reflects a commitment to addressing the everyday struggles of her constituents. In our post-election conversation, Jones discussed the importance of strengthening Toledo\u2019s food system infrastructure, describing access to healthy, affordable food as not only a public health priority but also a potential driver for economic development.<\/p>\n

And she has made economic equity a central concern, ensuring that residents squeezed by rising costs and stagnant wages have a voice in city government. Thus, she is equally focused on homeownership, understanding the challenges of both affording and maintaining homes for working- and middle-class families.<\/p>\n

These are the priorities that underscore her broader mission to make Toledo City government responsive to communities whose needs have too often been overlooked. In doing so, Jones embodies the spirit of the next generation of leaders \u2014 young, community-rooted, and determined to transform long-ignored needs into tangible, lasting policy change.<\/p>\n

The Key Lesson<\/p>\n

\u201cLocal elections are the most important \u2014 and EVERY vote counts,\u201d says Jones.<\/p>\n

As polling expert John Della Volpe puts it, [This generation is] \u201cthe most diverse\u2026 generation in American history,\u201d one that brings more open-mindedness about race, gender, and sexuality into the political arena \u2014 not simply as an afterthought, but as a core part of its civic identity.<\/p>\n

Indeed. November 2025 proved that every vote does count.<\/p>\n

It also proved that a\u00a0new generation of Black leadership \u2014 younger, female, intentional, and community-rooted \u2014 is ready to govern, both nationally and locally.<\/p>\n

Contact Rev. Donald Perryman, PhD, at <\/em>drdlperryman@centerofhopebaptist.org<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Rev. Donald L. Perryman, Ph.D. The Truth Contributor \u00a0\u00a0The next generation doesn\u2019t just want to vote \u2014they want to see leaders who reflect their communities and their realities. \u2013 John Della Volpe   Brittany Jones\u2019 finish as one of the top two vote-getters in Toledo City Council\u2019s at-large election signals a shift \u2014a generational, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55,252],"tags":[],"wf_post_folders":[321],"class_list":["post-17810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editorial-opinion","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17810"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17810\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17811,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17810\/revisions\/17811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17810"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_post_folders?post=17810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}