By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times
A town hall on voting rights featuring U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and Rep. Terri Sewell drew a multigenerational crowd to Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham on May 4, coming just days after a controversial U.S. Supreme Court decision impacting voting access.
The case, Louisiana v. Callais, centers on a challenge to the state’s congressional redistricting map and whether it complies with the Voting Rights Act. The case has intensified concerns about fair representation and the potential dilution of Black voting power across the South.
For 14-year-old Amari Sears, the message of the night was simple: show up and speak out.
“We watched the news. We see what the Supreme Court did with voting and how it’s affecting Black people,” said Sears, who traveled from Childersburg with her mother and 15-year-old Brylee Brown to attend the town hall. “Coming to events like this, it’s empowering. It’s inspiring us to take a stand and make our voices heard.”
Though she’s still years away from casting a ballot, Sears said the event pushed her to think about how she can engage now — by sharing information with friends and encouraging them to pay attention.
“Maybe just sharing things on Snapchat or Instagram… just letting [people] know things that we see and that we hear,” she said.
That sense of early awareness — and urgency — set the tone for a town hall that felt less like a political event and more like a call to action.
A Crowd Motivated by More Than Politics
The gathering held at Boutwell Auditorium featured Terri Sewell, Cory Booker, former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones and Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, who drew attendees across generations — many motivated by recent developments affecting voting rights.
For Sears’ mother, Sharonica Sears, bringing her daughter was intentional.
“It’s very important because I want her to understand how serious what’s going on is,” she said. “I don’t want my kids to grow up in a world that’s not for them.”
She contrasted the gravity of the moment with what she sees as distractions facing young people.
“A lot of times the young kids are just busy with really nothing. In their cell phones. Especially on Tik Tok. Learning to dance, or talking about food, or watching people eat and live. I think that’s silly when you’re really about to lose your rights,” she said.
From the stage, Woodfin opened with a reminder rooted in Birmingham’s civil rights legacy.
“We come from a legacy of people who were willing to fight for what was right,” he said, urging attendees to move beyond passive engagement. “We’ve got a fight on our hands.”
Jones followed by tying the present moment to Alabama’s past, warning that the state has seen similar challenges before.
“We have seen this playbook in Alabama before,” he said. “And we don’t like it.”
Sewell Sets the Stakes
Sewell grounded the conversation in the implications of the recent legal decisions impacting voting rights, calling them a serious threat to representation.
“We’re not going to sit idly by,” she said, emphasizing the need for continued vigilance and participation.
Her framing resonated with attendees like Michelle Harris, a Birmingham native who said the stakes were exactly why she showed up.
“I think it’s important that we understand what just occurred with the Supreme Court,” Harris said. “If we don’t get out and learn what the implications are, then we’re subject to repeating damaging things that have occurred throughout the United States.”
Standing beside her, Sondra Hill echoed that sentiment, emphasizing the importance of firsthand information.
“I believe in getting information for myself and not hearing it from someone else,” Hill said. “So that I can get the information that I need and ask the questions that I need to ask.”
Booker’s Presence Defines the Night
While each speaker brought a distinct perspective, it was Booker who commanded the room.
Charismatic and deeply engaging, Booker moved fluidly between humor, history, and hard truths. He connected Alabama’s civil rights legacy to present-day challenges, frequently invoking the work of John Lewis and other figures tied to the state’s history.
“The Supreme Court has never led history in this country,” Booker said. “It has always been the foot soldiers of democracy.”
But what set Booker apart was not just his energy — it was his willingness to admit failure.
Booker acknowledged that both he and his party have fallen short at times, pointing to missed opportunities and a lack of urgency in addressing key issues. He criticized Democrats for not investing enough in states like Alabama and for failing to consistently deliver results that people can feel in their lives. Reflecting, personally, Booker admitted, “I failed,” recalling moments when constituents challenged whether he and others were fighting hard enough. He ultimately framed those shortcomings as a call to action, urging both leaders and citizens to do more moving.
That moment of accountability stood out to many in attendance.
“I appreciated the fact that Senator Booker admitted to his mistakes,” Hill said. “And also gave us some things that we should be doing in the future so that we won’t commit those mistakes.”
Harris agreed.
“I appreciate[d] that they were candid about making mistakes,” she said. “Because we should all own up to our own mistakes… and with those mistakes should be a lesson.”
Booker’s message also resonated with Sharonica Sears, who pointed to his remarks about missed opportunities.
“I liked that he was okay to admit that… we missed the mark,” she said. “That part right there — we do not seize the moment. We’ve got to do something.”
That urgency — paired with reflection — became a central theme of the evening.
Booker repeatedly emphasized that progress has always required action from ordinary people, not just elected officials. He tied his own story to civil rights struggles rooted in Alabama, underscoring how past activism continues to shape present opportunities.
“I am here because people made a way out of no way,” he said.
Calls for Action Beyond the Room
By the end of the night, the focus shifted from discussion to what comes next.
Attendees expressed a desire to see more than just speeches.
“What I would like to see is actually action… more than just rhetoric,” Harris said, calling for stronger engagement at the local level.
Hill pointed to the energy in the room — particularly among younger attendees — as a sign of potential.
“I was surprised that there were so many young people out here,” she said. “I would like to see the young people take action.”
For Sharonica Sears, the path forward starts with continued engagement and visibility.
“If we’re ground zero… then we should be more mobilized,” she said. “I want to see more of us get out there and do something.”
As the event closed, Booker left the audience with a final image: a man standing in a storm, holding a light to guide others.
“The question is, where will you stand?” he asked.
For attendees like Amari Sears, the answer may still be forming — but the direction is clear.
Even without a vote, she’s already thinking about how to influence others, one conversation or post at a time.
And if the goal of the night was to spark that kind of awareness, the message landed.
