“Every man and woman is born into the world to do something unique and something distinctive and if he or she does not do it, it will never be done.” – Benjamin E. Mays

Alisha Thomas Morgan could have been spending her Saturday in any number of ways. Relaxing at home with husband David and daughter Lailah, for instance. Instead, Alisha had come to tell a story we all need to hear. And she could have no more of a captive audience than she does today. On this second day of the Young Leaders for Social Change conference, the number of attendees has increased from 50 to over 100.

A courageous champion for justice, equality and empowering communities, Alisha Thomas Morgan made history in November 2002 by becoming the first African-American to serve in the Georgia House of Representatives for Cobb County when she was 23 years old. In November 2008, she was elected to her fourth term, winning over 72% of the vote. At age 30, Alisha remains the youngest female member of the entire Georgia General Assembly.

Alisha is not your average elected official. In lieu of wearing a suit, she comes to the stage in a belted fuchsia dress and trendy black pumps. She looks her age. Our age.  She does not hide the fact that she was barely out of college when she ran for office. In fact, she wears her age as a badge of pride and a responsibility to her generation and the generations that will come after her. She is proud to tell us how she got to where she is now.

Alisha’s Moment of Obligation

Originally from Miami, Florida, Alisha got involved in her local NAACP chapter when she was 14 years old. She became the youth council president and maintained her involvement throughout high school. When it was time for her to go to college, she applied to Spelman . . . but was rejected. Yet Alisha did not give up her dream to attend the historical institution. A year later, she reapplied to Spelman, was accepted, and served as the NAACP president there. She marched against harmful legislation and helped register people to vote. It was then that she realized that people needed to be involved even when it’s not election time. That young people needed to be a part of the political process.

Alisha decided to run for office when she was 22 years old.

Don’t Let Nobody (Turn You Around)

In 2005, Alisha spoke out against a photo ID bill that would have required Georgia voters to have one of six forms of government-issued ID at the polls. It was a very political issue, a law that affected college students, the elderly, and poor people that were less likely to possess such identification and more likely to vote for Democrats. Alisha spoke out against the bill one day on the House floor. She spoke longer than her allotted 2 minutes, talked about the sacrifice of ancestors who died so that young people could vote, then sang the old spiritual “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody (Turn Me Around).” As one blogger wrote:

Morgan took to the well of the House and spoke out against the bill again. When her time was up, Speaker Glenn Richardson, R-Hiram, tapped his gavel and said, “The lady’s time has expired.” Morgan refused to leave and started singing the protest song, “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around.” She kept singing while Richardson slammed his gavel. Everybody was outraged and shocked. Such a lack of decorum! People talked of censure. Longtime legislative observers said it was disrespectful, immature and ineffective. A young black person hadn’t caused such a stir at the Capitol since Julian Bond opposed the Vietnam War or Cynthia McKinney opposed the first war in Iraq.

But Alisha is an activist at heart and that was her moment. She cared so deeply about the injustice of the legislation that the rules of the House did not matter. There are some moments in our lives when it just does not matter. All hell is about to break loose and either you’re with me or you’re not.

Ask Our Elders for Support

No one wanted to be associated with Alisha after her performance on the House floor. It was a tough time for her because the Speaker of the House wanted her expelled for going over her time limit when she spoke out against the bill. Her fellow elected officials turned their backs on her and stated publicly they were “embarrassed” at her behavior. Her colleagues began calling her privately to urge her to apologize. It was Alisha’s mentor, Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery, that came to the House Speaker’s office to support her and tell them to stop asking her to apologize. She never heard another word about it after that.

Nonprofits Need to Lobby

Alisha admits that although she tries to stay informed about what’s going on with her constituents, there is a missing link when we talk about public policy. Policymakers are disconnected from the people. She said that nonprofits need to bring the people we are organizing to the Capitol, to City Hall, to the General Assembly. Just because you are in a 501(c)3 doesn’t mean you cannot lobby, just ask Alliance for Justice. Get out of the mindset that we’ll always be the “loyal opposition” to the powers that be. What happens when you win? We need to know how to make friends and work across the aisle to help our people. How can we build relationships that will assist our communities? It’s not about sleeping with the enemy. In politics, there are no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, just permanent interests. Nonprofit leaders can make the best elected officials because your agenda is not to get to the next office, but make change for generations to come. Call your elected officials and start off with “I live in your district.” Don’t send form letters. They don’t have the personal impact. Take people to the city council meetings, have them testify.

Be the Outsider on the Inside

Alisha ran for office because she wanted to be the outsider on the inside. She didn’t let her detractors run her off, even when her right to run was challenged. During her campaign,  people said she hadn’t lived in Georgia long enough so she could not run. But she appealed the case, and the judge overturned the ruling. People told her she was too young, and her skin was too dark. That her ideas were too liberal. As she comes to the end of her story, Alisha begins to cry, because she knew we all had been there at one point in our lives.  She went door to door talking to people in the community, asking for their votes. Despite the obstacles, Alisha got her name on the ballot and 65% of the vote. At 23, she became the first African American to serve in the Georgia House of Representatives for Cobb County. Since then, Alisha has succeeded in getting landmark education reform legislation HB 251 signed into law this year, which empowers parents to access public school options within local districts. In 2008, Alisha sponsored a Stop the Violence weekend for Georgia youth and has recently lent her voice in support of healthcare reform. Alisha is proof that it can be done. Yes, we can bring our social justice perspective to the insider world of politics. Our communities need us desperately, and we have to hold our elected officials accountable. Support those candidates you want to see in office. Run your damn self.

I had the chance to catch Alisha on video as she was leaving. She had a special message for young people that want to help change the world: get more involved in the political process.

Full disclosure: Southern Partners Fund paid me to provide blogging services for this event to leverage the power of social media to share their stories with the wider philanthropic community. The views expressed here are solely my own, however, and I stand by my commitment to authentic coverage of these issues. Would you like to hire me? Visit my portfolio to see samples of my work.