It comes down to race for me. Cindy Hyde Smith has repeatedly shown that she does not care about Mississippians in the two years she has been appointed to the Senate. My story is not to make a moral crusade or show that I am “woke.” This version of Mississippi has been around for too long. Someone needs to speak out. As Mississippians, it is our moral duty as mothers and women to make Mississippi better. This is not something I felt always. I was raised in Mississippi Gulf Coast, a predominantly white area. My schools were predominantly white and I was not able to meet people of color. It is difficult to understand the impact that being raised in such a environment can have on your mental health. When I was in college at the University of Southern Mississippi, I saw things differently. I made friends with people of colour. It was shocking to discover that sororities were racially segregated. My first teacher of color was Dr. Shirley Bowles. What really changed my life was my journey to become a teacher in a public school. In 2010, I started teaching at the same elementary school that I went to kindergarten. I was a student in the same kindergarten class that my kindergarten teacher had taught me, and I became the kindergarten teacher there. It was hard not to notice the number of students of color that I taught in my first years of teaching. This had a profound impact on me. I received the Milken Educator Award in 2014. This award was national and allowed me to work closely with women of color from all over the country. In the same year, I was invited to speak at Mississippi Teacher and Administrators of the Year Conference. As I looked around, I was struck by the number of people of color who play these important roles in shaping young minds. It was difficult not to wonder how I hadn’t seen this in my own life. This was the turning point in my view of race in Mississippi. My students should see me in leadership roles at work that are similar to theirs. It’s easy to see how people of colour have been held back in public education history. Redlining, the immoral treatment of Black mothers with government subsidies in 1950s and 60s, the large number of children of color who had no chance of obtaining a quality education were just a few examples. The racism in public education is still present today, though it looks different. This is evident most clearly in the funding of our schools. How is it possible that my elementary school in Biloxi has less comfort for students than the Ocean Springs school of the same size? It is strange that teachers at schools in the Delta and southwest Mississippi are required to meet the same academic standards with significantly fewer resources as my colleagues in Biloxi. Listening to Cindy Hyde Smith speak clearly, it is clear that she doesn’t know the history nor the present. She doesn’t seem to understand the impact her words and actions have on many Mississippians. Because I didn’t know better, I voted in Hyde-Smith for 2018. As a registered Republican, I have learned over the years that the party I used to believe in is incompetent, disgraceful and immoral to serve in public office. Although I regret my vote for elected officials in the past, I vow to never repeat that mistake. Your vote is important, too. Because I care about children, I became an educator. Teaching is a lifelong job. Every breath I take, I will fight for the success of all my students, especially my students of color. While I am not able to save them from the many problems they will face, I must have faith in the ability of our elected officials to make the right decisions for their future. It’s part and parcel of me. It’s part my morals. And it’s something I fight for every day. My U.S. senator needs to hear the same. Cindy Hyde Smith has done nothing to help our state and, worse, has done nothing to help our children. Children are the future. If you don’t fight for Mississippi’s children, you aren’t fighting for Mississippi. Mike Espy is my hope for the future. Editor’s note: Mississippians can use our platform to create essays on race. This is the fourth essay in the series. The first essay was written by Kiese Laymon. W. Ralph Eubanks wrote the second and Taylor BreAnn Turnerage the third. Click here to view our extended editor’s notes about this decision. About the Author: Cagney is a Mississippi Gulf Coast native. Cagney Weaver has been an educator for over 11 years. She received her National Board Certification in 2014, and was awarded the Milken Educator Award 2014. She is a Lowell Milken Unsung Hero Fellow and has dedicated her entire life to education. She has served in a variety of capacities at state educational conferences, including as a presenter, speaker, and facilitator._x000D