…Not Out of Habit, But Out of Love

BREN SHERIFF
BREN SHERIFF


…Not Out of Habit, But Out of Love

This week’s column is about a conversation that must happen in every Black family—at barbecues, around the kitchen table, wherever we gather—and it needs to happen now, before another election cycle slips past while our community watches from the sidelines.

We need to talk to our young people and non-voters about voting. Not as a suggestion. Not as a gentle nudge. As a responsibility—one that belongs to each of us.

Yes, voting is a right. But a right unused is a right surrendered. Too many of us have not been using it. My concern is simple: if we don’t use it, we might lose it.

I know what some of you are thinking about young folks: “They don’t listen.” “They’re too busy on their phones.” “They don’t think it matters.” Some of that may be true. But before we dismiss them, we must ask an honest question: what have they seen us do?

Children learn what they live. They absorb the attitudes and habits of the adults around them—especially their parents. The things we treat as important, they carry forward. The things we ignore, they learn to ignore. “Chip off the old block” is more than a saying—it is a pattern. If your children have never heard you talk about candidates, debate issues, or deliberately leave the house just to vote, why would they believe voting matters in your life—or theirs?

Start talking. Tell them who you’re voting for and why. When young people hear adults connect their values to their votes, they begin to understand that the ballot is not abstract. It is personal. It is powerful. It affects their lives and every government decision that touches them.

Our youth are passionate. What they may lack is the connection between their vote and their day-to-day reality. Help them connect the dots—education, housing, policing, courts, healthcare, and economic opportunity. These are lived experiences shaped by elected officials.

What they often lack is the bridge between what they care about and how the political process delivers results. That is our job—to help them build that bridge. When they understand that their vote, combined with others who share their concerns, is the engine of change in a constitutional republic, complacency becomes harder to justify. Young voters—and non-voters—must see that voting is how candidates aligned with their interests get elected. Voting, not wishing, creates change.

When a person chooses not to vote, they are not simply sitting out an election. They are handing their power to someone else—someone whose interests may look nothing like theirs. That is the message we must deliver—with love, urgency, and clarity.

And when the conversation stalls, tell them the stories. Tell them about the men and women who marched, bled, and died for the right to vote that some now treat as optional. Let them feel the weight of that history. Remind them that an unused ballot dishonors the sacrifice of those who gave everything so that we would never have to beg for a seat at the table.

The most dangerous lie circulating in our communities is that one vote does not matter. Think of a vote like a single finger—alone, it has limited strength. But when fingers form a fist, there is power. Votes work the same way.

And make no mistake: those who benefit from low turnout know exactly how powerful your vote is. Restrictive ID laws, gerrymandering, and polling place closures have not targeted our communities by accident. When people work that hard to keep you away from the ballot box, it should tell you something—they know your vote matters.

But what concerns me even more is the quiet harm we cause ourselves when young people and non-voters do not understand how their absence affects all of us. Just as many embraced the message that Black lives matter, we must now carry that same urgency into a new conviction: Black lives matter when Blacks vote!

Civic responsibility is not built in a single conversation—it is cultivated over time, through example, discussion, and action.

We still have time. In Illinois, voter registration closes 28 days before the election—typically in October. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

Start now. Motivate both young people and non-voters. Register them. Educate them. Take them with you to candidate forums and political rallies. Show them that your family has a legacy of voting—not out of habit, but out of love for what this community can become when everyone shows up together to vote their interests.

Keep hope alive! Vote by vote! Generation by generation!

Best to you and yours,

Bren Sheriff, CSA

THIS WEEK’S QUIZ: How does a Medigap policy differ from Medicare?

Answer to last week’s quiz: Your “rainy day account” should have 3-6 months of your expenses.

For Questions or Help: 773-817-0601 or basheriff1@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The illustrations presented in this column are not, nor are they intended to be, legal, financial, or any other licensed professional advice, you should contact the licensed professional of your choice for advice on your individual situation.

                                                

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