Worked 'all the way to the last minute': Mississippi college student who helped cure ballots

Senator-elect Scott Colombe's historic. win could not have come without the work. of Mississippi activists. Many helped their fellow voters navigate. the state's strict election laws. For students of historically. black Tougaloo College, which straddles two counties, some were confused. about which county they could vote in. That is why our next guest stepped in to help. Terry Rogers, the second, is a senior at Tougaloo. College studying. political science who helped. his classmates get their votes counted. Here he was last night with Senator-elect Colom. and Congressman Betty Thompson.

The panel is still with us. Terry, congratulations. You drove your fellow students in a van. across counties to check on their ballots. What were they worried about. and what did you get to see? Indeed, let's all give you a round of applause. Thank you. We say democracy, democracy in action, democracy in progress. You are the face of that work. Tell me what it looked like from your perspective. Well, it looked like a chicken. with its head cut off, apparently. Honestly, this is my second-ever.

federal election. that I've ever voted in. And I I remember whenever Kamala Harris. was running, how historic that was, and everybody was really excited. And then, bada boom, bada bang it, this election came down, and I went with one of my friends up to. the precinct on campus. And she had to fill out an affidavit ballot. because she had a college ID. Well, a college ID is a form of acceptable ID. in which you are able to use here in the state.

of Mississippi to be able to vote. And while all of that was going on, I was kind of confused and I didn't really. understand what an affidavit ballot even was. And not until I heard from some several. people in Mississippi who were. saying they have to cure these ballots. And I I remember, like, oh, snap, her vote. isn't going to count. And I went into action. I got with my teacher, Dr. Long, and I said, we have to do something. So I got on the van. It totally made seven round trips to Madison.

County and Hines County. And of course, Tougaloo sits at a very. unique place where. some of the campus is in Hines County. and the other part is in Madison County. So you had some students who thought they were. registered in Hines County when, in reality, they were in Madison County. And so ultimately just had all this, these unique different types of stuff. We did a great job at voter registration, but it's so many complex laws in the state. of Mississippi and suppression laws.

that we did not too well at voter education. And that's not because of our own fault. That's because they ultimately tried. to stop our vote, but not only did we go to Tougaloo. after we got everybody an answer. about the affidavit battle of Tougaloo, we went to Jackson State. And so we helped them there all the way to. the last minute. So here's What I find so moving, David, is there is so much moneyed interest. in making sure that students. like Terry cannot exercise their right to vote. So you have that on one side.

And on the other side, you have young people who. understand what it means to be. a good ancestor who are willing to get. in the van and do the unglamorous, unsexy work of making sure. that their friends and their family can vote. It's IT'S AN ASYMMETRIC PLAYING FIELD, AND YET, FOLKS LIKE TERRY ARE THE ONES WHO WON. YEAH, FIRST, I CAN'T LOOK AT BRITTANY. SHE GETTING CHOKED UP. SHE'S GOING TO GET ME CHOKED UP, SO I'VE GOT TO LOOK SOMEWHERE ELSE. THIS IS THE THING THAT THESE FOLKS NEED TO. UNDERSTAND THAT LIKE THE FOLKS. WHO TRY TO SUPPRESS THIS VOTE.

AND THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE, YOU KNOW, ENACTED THEIR WAR AND VIOLENCE ON US. FOR DECADES AND. CENTURIES IN MISSISSIPPI IS THAT. YOU TURN OUR PEOPLE INTO ANCESTORS. THAT DON'T STOP US FROM FIGHTING. THAT DON'T STOP THEM ANCESTORS FROM. HE IS CONTINUING THE WORK THAT IS HAPPENING. ON THESE CAMPUSES, ON TOOGALOO CAMPUS WHERE HOLLYS WALKINS ATTENDED, WHERE MATTY BIDMANS ATTENDED, WHERE THE LADNER SISTERS. ATTENDED, LIKE HE IS CONTINUING THAT. WORK. OF THE PEOPLE OF ANN DEVINE, VICTORIA GRAY, FANNY LOO HAMER.

THIS IS A REMINDER THAT THESE. FOLKS ARE GOING TO CARRY ON THAT LEGACY, THAT THERE IS NO STOPPING THAT, THAT THIS IS JUST I DON'T THINK IT'S. JUST THE BEGINNING OF THAT. MAZIE JONES, A YOUNG SISTER OUT OF. JACKSON WHO HAS. BEEN DOING THIS SAME KIND OF WORK. TERRY IS A LEADER BUT HE IS ONE. OF MANY AND ONE OF A HUGE, HUGE COALITION IN A PLACE LIKE JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI WHICH IS THE MOST PUT UPON. BY THIS GOVERNMENT LOCALLY AND NATIONALLY. TO TRY TO STOP WHAT HE IS DOING. YOU SEE THIS KIND OF WHEN THEY. SAY THERE IS NO TURNING US AROUND, THIS IS WHAT THEY MEAN BECAUSE IT'S ONLY GOING.

LIKE THERE IS NO PUTTING THE. TOOTHPACE BACK IN THE TUBE WHEN. IT COMES TO GETTING THESE BLACK FOLKS OUT HERE. AND VOTING AND CHANGING THIS COUNTRY. WE'VE STARTED SOMETHING LIKE THAT. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO STOP IT. BRITTANY, I CAN'T LOOK AT YOU EITHER. BECAUSE THEN. THE ENTIRE PANEL WILL BE CRYING. I I am struck by the fact that we were once the. youngs who were. doing the work. We are now the moms who are going to. have to figure out how to explain to our kids.

that the civil rights movement is not. a thing in the past. It is a THING IN THE PRESENT? HOW DO YOU CONTEXTUALIZE, I KNOW YOUR KIDS ARE A. LITTLE BIT. YOUNGER THAN MINE, BUT HOW DO YOU. CONTEXTUALIZE FOR. THEM WHAT THIS MOMENT MEANS AND THE HISTORY THAT. THEY'RE LIVING. THROUGH? I MEAN, I'M RAISING TWO BLACK SONS AND. HAD TO TEACH THEM BOTH WHAT A. SENATOR WAS LAST NIGHT. AND THEY PROBABLY STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND IT, BUT I WANTED TO ENSURE THAT EVEN AT ALMOST 5. AND 1 1 1 1 HALF, THEY WITNESSED THE HISTORY. that Mississippi and Black folks across the South.

and folks who had been completely ignored. and laughed at and under-invested in. and un-invested in had been working. and waiting for it for 145 years. I'm sitting in front of a I WANTED A SIGN THAT. SAYS VOTING RIGHTS ARE CHILDREN'S RIGHTS. IN MY FULL-TIME LIFE, I'M CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER. AT THE. CHILDREN'S DEFENSE FUND. WE LAUNCHED THIS CAMPAIGN WE WANTED PEOPLE TO. VOTE FOR THEIR CHILDREN AND WITH THEIR CHILDREN, UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE ARE 73 MILLION YOUNG. PEOPLE WHO DO NOT HAVE THE. OPPORTUNITY TO STRIKE A MARK.

BALLOTS BUT ARE IMPACTED BY. EVERY SINGLE CHOICE THAT'S MADE IN IT. THEN I LOOK AT YOU, TERRY, AND I LOOK AT YOUNG SISTER. WELCHLAND. WHO IS THE NEW STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT AT TOOGULU WHOSE. MOTHER IS HERSELF a legendary. freedom fighter in Mississippi. I look at Tiffany Lofton, who helped register 17 ,000. young people across the state. of Mississippi after being raised. in this movement and now leading the U .S. Student Association. I look at the work of Children's Defense Fund, I think about my own children.

And then, Alicia, I think about. people who pulled out the bloated body. of Emmett Till out of the Tallahatchie. RIVER IN 1955, I THINK ABOUT MAIME TILL. DECIDING TO. OPEN THAT CASKET AS SHE SAID. SO THE WORLD COULD SEE WHAT THEY DID TO MY BOY. I THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT. she cried her tears publicly to baptize. this nation into righteousness. And I think about how Nolan Wells should have. been pulling his first lever.

in his very first election in the state. of MISSISSIPPI, BUT HIS MOTHER UPON HIS DEATH, SHE HAS DECIDED TO CRY HER TEARS IN PUBLIC TO. BAPTIZE THIS COUNTRY INTO RIGHTEOUSNESS AND. YOUNG PEOPLE IN MISSISSIPPI SAID I'M GOING TO. VOTE FOR I'M GOING TO VOTE FOR NOLAN BECAUSE. HE CAN'T I'M GOING TO VOTE FOR NOLAN BECAUSE. HE CAN'T I'M GOING TO VOTE FOR COHEN WILY. BECAUSE HE CAN'T GO WITH HIS MOTHER TO THE. POLLS I'M GOING TO SHOW UP AND SHOW OUT THOSE. STUDENTS AT NCAT THEY WEREN'T MARCHING FOR ROY. COOPER THEY WERE MARCHING. FOR NOLAN WELLS SO MANY YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE BEEN.

ACTIVATED IN THIS MOMENT AND WHAT IS BEING. REBORN IN THIS TIME I AM SO CLEAR IT'S NOT. JUST A POLITICAL MOVEMENT BUT A SPIRITUAL AND A. CULTURAL ONE THAT WILL REVISIT THOSE ROOTS WE. 'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT ALL AFTERNOON ON THIS. PANEL AND WE'LL PULL UP THOSE THINGS AND THOSE. BLUEPRINTS THAT WERE TAUGHT TO US SO. THAT THESE GENERATIONS WILL NOT MISS THIS MOMENT, TERRY WE ARE GRATEFUL TO YOU AND ALL OF YOUR. FRIENDS AND YOUR COMRADES AND YOUR CLASSMATES.

WHO DID THIS WORK AND WHO REMINDED US. COLLECTIVELY OF OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO. DEMOCRACY I CLOSE WITH THIS BARBARA WILLIAMS. SKINNER THIS MORNING SAID HELP US REMEMBER THE. RESPONSIBILITY OF VICTORY AND OUR. RESPONSIBILITIES TO THOSE 73 MILLION CHILDREN. IT'S A YOUNG PEOPLE LIKE YOU TERRY WHO. SAVED THIS COUNTRY AND IT'S TO ALL. OF THE FOLKS WHO HAVE BEEN COUNTED OUT TO. FINALLY BE INVESTED IN SUPPORTED AND ACTUALLY. GET POLICY WRITTEN THAT HAS THEM IN MIND. IT IS AN ENORMOUS RESPONSIBILITY AND.

AN ENORMOUS OPPORTUNITY. REVEREND L SHARPTON, DEREK JOHNSON, DAVID DENNIS JR., BRITTNEY PACKNICK-CUNNINGHAM, TERRY ROGERS, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH AND A VERY BLESSED BIRTHDAY. TO YOU, BRITTANY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING SOME. OF THE TIME TO BE WITH US. WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.