Economic power is unstoppable when organized. By combining voting with strategic spending, communities can create leverage for real change. Every dollar spent is a vote for the future.
Why Dual Voting is a Must
A Legacy of Leadership and Action
My father didn’t talk about change in the abstract—he lived it. From working with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference during Operation Mountain Top to leading the Human Relations Commission, his life was a testament to action. At just 23, he started his first business. Over the next 25 years, he served in the state legislature, becoming the first Black Senate Majority Leader and contributing to key committees like Budget Conference and Health and Human Services.
When he spoke about how the world worked, I listened. One of his most memorable lessons was this:
“If you want to understand what’s really going on, get in the room, get in the deal—that’s where the money is cut up.”
This wisdom has stayed with me. It’s a reminder that being seen is not the same as being heard, and being represented is not the same as getting paid. You can be in the photo but still leave the room empty-handed if you’re not part of the deal.
The Shifting Landscape of Power
Today, the rules around voting are changing rapidly. Landmark cases like Shelby, Rucho, and Brnovich have weakened the enforcement of the Voting Rights Act. The right to vote remains, but the mechanisms to enforce it have been eroded.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. understood this before his assassination. By the time of the Poor People’s Campaign, he had shifted his focus to economic power—jobs, wages, and ownership. He recognized that civil rights would not hold without economic leverage.
Leaders like Jesse Jackson carried this vision forward through initiatives like Operation Breadbasket and Rainbow PUSH. These efforts focused on tangible outcomes: contracts, hires, deposits, and ad dollars. I witnessed this firsthand while working on Rainbow PUSH’s Peachtree Street Project. When real numbers entered the conversation, the dynamics shifted. It wasn’t about emotion—it was about math.
Building Economic Power: Lessons from YEA
As a college student working at my family’s newspaper, I launched a company called Young Entrepreneurs and Associates (YEA). It was a referral agency connecting customers to Black-owned businesses. Need a plumber, accountant, or mechanic? Call YEA.
This was years before platforms like Angie’s List. We operated manually, using phones and paper directories. The demand was immense, and the business grew quickly. But we faced a critical challenge: tracking impact.
We knew calls were coming in and money was moving, but we couldn’t quantify the revenue impact for business owners. Without data, we couldn’t prove our value. This gap—between effort and evidence—has persisted for decades.
The Two Lanes of Power: Voting and Spending
There are two primary lanes of power: voting and spending.
- Voting happens on a schedule and determines who governs.
- Spending happens daily and determines who responds.
If voting is voice, spending is volume. If voting is permission, spending is pressure. Voting is essential, but it’s not enough.
For decades, we’ve been one of the largest spending blocs in the U.S., contributing trillions annually. Yet, we’ve lacked leverage because we’ve acted as consumers rather than a market.
- Consumers spend; markets move.
- Consumers react; markets direct.
- Consumers are sold to; markets negotiate.
We are not just consumers—we are a market. It’s time to act like one.
Organizing Demand: The Path Forward
The work behind initiatives like Friends of the Movement, the Voter Wallet, and Our Money United is about organizing demand. It’s the same vision I had with YEA—connecting daily decisions to collective power.
The difference today is technology. What we couldn’t track in 1990, we can track now. What we couldn’t prove, we can prove.
They can redraw districts and rewrite voting rules, but they can’t redraw demand. A market that moves together is unstoppable.
Conclusion: Voting and Spending as Dual Forces
Power is either used or used against you. Voting remains critical, but it’s only part of the equation. Every dollar you spend is a vote. Every purchase sends a signal.
When we organize our spending, we stop asking for change and start directing it. That’s when real power emerges.
So, vote at the ballot box—and vote again with every dollar, every day, every time.
Dr. Charles Walker Jr.
FotM Global Inc.
Founder, Chairman, & CEO
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