Boom. It felt like a kick to the stomach - I was being “called” home. In the famous words of Kevin Hart: “Nooooooo, I wasn’t ready.”
When I decided I wouldn’t return to Tallulah, it was because I finally felt settled. I had an apartment downtown, a good job that actually used my “special set of skills” (yes, I’m a Liam Neeson fan), and I thought I was living the dream. But God reminded me that the real dream - the divine calling - always includes lifting people and places beyond my own interests. I had to submit to the command.
I once believed relocating to a city I’d never visited, with only a blow-up mattress, a blanket, a four-quart pan, and just enough food to last until payday, was the hardest thing I’d ever face. But walking out the vision God has given me has demanded even more.
I’ve cried. I’ve second-guessed myself. I’ve written proposal after proposal and heard nothing back. I’ve slept on couches and in the guest rooms of strangers who believed in me. I’ve lived without water for nearly a month because a friend didn’t want to distract me from investing in my campaign. Even now, I’ve been stuck at home due to car problems - but the vision is real, and I cannot let go. Tallulah may be out of sight for a moment, but it is never out of mind. The work continues.
And I’ve been called a fool for believing in Tallulah - by family, friends, and strangers. Each time, I’ve had to fight their doubts and my own. Time and again, I’ve asked God, “Are you sure about this?” And every time, I was reminded: You are the change.
Like a phoenix rising from ashes, like Lazarus returning to life, hope returns. And just as hope rises in me, it will rise in Tallulah. God has shown me a vision of people working together - using their gifts, their creativity, and their strength to build this community. That vision is not mine alone. It belongs to all of us.
Whether a part of your vision is building the next generation of grant writers for the City like Dr. Candler, exposing our youth to new possibilities like Ms. Fountain or Mrs. Watson-Sims, or rooting young ladies in the importance of service like Mrs. Elisha Thomas - Tallulah needs it.
Your vision could entail you moving back home, leading the Madison school district, going through the “valley” and still remaining steadfast to see the vision through like Dr. Charlie Butler, Jr. Your vision could move you to be long-time advocates for our youth through education like Mrs. Marjorie Pitts, Mrs. Donna Lisa Crockett, Mrs. Hazel Suluki, Mrs. Joyce Williams and Ms. Myra Harris. Your vision for Tallulah could bring you up and down the highway like Mr. Jimmy Carter because you want to create a path for a lucrative career in AI and Robotics. You could want to see more successful local entrepreneurs; so, you agree to start a mentorship program like Mr. Adrian Nelson. Perhaps, your vision involves donating your hard earned money to support Jaguar athletics like Derrick Knox-Jackson. For the “kool kids” like Mrs. Barbara Gamboa and Mr. James Turner, your vision may include gracing the city with beauty and culture through visual art.
Maybe a part of your vision is merging the love of performance art with the discipline of life skills like Mr. Watson and Mrs. Vickie Gathrite, mobilizing people to meet community needs like Mrs. Sheila Love, or helping build homecoming every year so our youth have something to look forward to like Ms. Alaysia Hicks. Your vision may include working to get Tallulah healthy like Mrs. Brittny Sims- Washington. Your vision could wake you up in the wee-hours of the morning so that Tallulah has world-class festivals like Mrs. Lajuana Godwin or your visions for Tallulah could be so big that it keeps you up at night like Mrs Cheryl Fisher- Lewis. What if you exposed our youth to the opportunities in agriculture like 4-H agent Andrea Jinks? Tallulah needs all of what you have to offer.
Or maybe it’s as steady and practical as organizing yearly clean-ups, like Mrs. Berteal Rogers. Big or small, baby, Tallulah needs it all.
If you’re alone or a part of a church, a club, an organization, a board, or just a group of friends, start thinking about what concern you can help chip away at. Do you want to teach youth life skills? Create new activities to bring in visitors? Strengthen the bonds that keep our city together? Whatever it is, you have a role in shaping the Tallulah we deserve.
Pray for guidance. Listen to the vision inside you. Then connect with others who are ready to act. The Madison Advisory Coalition is one place to begin - call us at 318-884-8735 or scan the QR code to share your vision; so we can (possibly) help you build it with strategy so that you all are most impactful. This strategy involves us hearing your vision and working with you all to create a long-term plan, and connecting you with people and resources who believe what you believe.
This is our invitation: see yourself in this work. Find your place in the movement toward a better Tallulah. Whether your role is big or small, it matters. When we each take a step, we remind one another of the power we hold together.
Hand in hand, step by step, we are the change. And together, we can build the Tallulah we all deserve.
