I was born and raised in Kansas City, so I was immediately struck by where the Legislature drew the new congressional district boundary. Troost Avenue, the same racial and economic line that has divided Black and white Kansas Citians for generations, is once again being used to separate our city. We have spent decades building bridges, blending communities and creating opportunities across zip codes. We refuse to have progress erased and familiar red lines darkened through a power grab that serves the few at the expense of the people.

On Nov. 3, voters will decide Prop A – the citizen referendum challenging this power grab. A NO vote keeps our current districts, which support the selection of representatives that reflect the voters and communities they serve. A YES vote splits Kansas City among three previously distinct districts and moves roughly 70,000 people of color into rural areas so their votes are outweighed by voters living in different communities with different demographics, hundreds of miles away. A YES vote is designed to silence Black voices and reduce resources in Black communities.

At Health Forward Foundation, our mission is to achieve health equity, and that mission depends on representation that reflects the people it serves. Congress decides Medicaid funding, support for community health centers, and resources for food assistance. History shows that when people have a real choice, they elect leaders and pass policies that support their health. Take away that choice, and the families east of Troost, where there are already fewer clinics and shorter life spans, lose access to and the accountability of the elected officials that are supposed to represent their interests.

We refuse to have progress erased and familiar red lines darkened.

I learned the value of showing up from my parents. My father served on the City Council and led Freedom Inc., helping elect our city’s first Black mayor. My mother worked with neighborhood associations to connect residents with the leaders and resources to support community development. They taught me that democracy is a verb. Democracy requires action. Democracy is the ultimate balance of power. Democracy is ours.

They taught me that democracy is a verb.

More than 300,000 Missourians exercised their power when they signed the petition that put this map on the ballot and put this issue into the rightful hands of voters. Now it’s up to all of us. Absentee voting has already started. Make a plan, vote early and vote NO on Prop A.