When They Came for Our Rights, Black Women in Lancaster Answered the Call

Left to righ: Rev. Stephanie Atkins, Councilor Cheryl Holland Jones, Chairwoman Beverly Malone

In April, the Supreme Court gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Louisiana v. Callais told Black communities across this country that the maps drawn to silence us don't need much justification anymore, and that the burden of proving our own political power just got heavier. It was another chapter in a story this country has told us before: that our voice at the ballot box is negotiable.

Lancaster didn't wait for permission to answer.

On October 4, the Black Caucus of the Lancaster County Democrats and the Intracity Progressive Pastors Association will launch Souls to the Polls, Lancaster, a countywide voter registration effort built church by church across Lancaster's Black community. It kicks off at 9:30 AM at Bethel AME Church with a Collective Civic Sunday: worship, testimony, and organizing in the same breath. From there it moves to Ebenezer Baptist Church on October 11, with Shiloh Baptist and Brightside Baptist to follow ahead of Pennsylvania's October 19 registration deadline.

The story of how this came together is a story about three Black women who refused to wait for someone else to lead: Beverly Malone, Cheryl Holland Jones, and Rev. Stephanie Atkins, all members of the Black Caucus and its Voter Registration Subcommittee.

"Black women are the loving nurturers and the fierce protectors!" said Beverly Malone, chair of the Black Caucus. "When there's a call to action like the one now, it's our natural reaction to step up and join the fight to right the wrongs being done to Black people and to all marginalized people in our county."

Beverly Malone

Beverly Malone has chaired the Black Caucus since March 2026, and from the moment this initiative began taking shape, she has been its loudest and most consistent voice, pushing the caucus to make voter registration the center of its work this year rather than a side project. For her, this fight is an inheritance.

"When I think about my grandparents' and my parents' fight for voting rights and other freedoms we have today, I'm so very proud to have been born into that strength and determination!" Malone said. "And now unfortunately, that fight continues on, and it's our turn to make sure that those currently in charge of our government do not take us back to a time when 'Liberty and Justice for All' was not meant for those who look like me and my family. Time to make our next generations proud!"

When the Callais decision came down, Malone didn't bury her anger. She put it to work.

"Honestly, my rage at the Callais ruling and understanding the best way for me to channel that anger was my turning point," she said. "When I'm out speaking to people, I always emphasize that government would not try to suppress our votes so methodically if they didn't matter in elections. With this voter registration initiative, we are committed to registering and educating as many Lancastrians as possible so they are ready to vote in this election, and all elections going forward. We will not be silenced!"

Councilor Cheryl Holland Jones

Lancaster City Councilor Cheryl Holland Jones has been the backbone of this effort's structure. She's the one who turned an idea into a working committee, brought the right people into the room, and kept pushing the vision forward until it had legs.

Asked what it takes to build something like this from the ground up, Holland Jones pointed to two things: "a vision to help better the community, to bridge the gap," and "a genuine care for the community to ensure our voices are heard at the ballot box."

Her message to anyone who isn't sure their vote still matters is direct. "Every voice and vote counts," she said. "It's your civic duty to be engaged and help shape your community."

And what she wants Black Lancaster to carry out of the church doors on October 4 is simple. "There is power in numbers," Holland Jones said. "When we stand as a collective at the ballot box, we can help shape our future. Voting is a tool we have in our toolbox that gives us the ability to make change."

Reverend Stephanie Atkins

Reverend Stephanie Atkins made history before this effort began. When she was appointed pastor of Bethel AME Church, she became the first woman to lead the congregation in its 208-year history. A Navy veteran with more than two decades in ministry, she arrived at Bethel focused on bringing young people back through the church doors.

On the Voter Registration Subcommittee, Atkins was instrumental in bringing the Intracity Progressive Pastors Association to the table. That partnership is what turned a registration drive into Souls to the Polls: an alliance of Black churches carrying the work from pulpit to pulpit. Without her, the pastors may never have come together at all.

It's fitting that it starts in her sanctuary. On October 4, a church that has stood in Lancaster for more than two centuries will open its doors for Collective Civic Sunday under the first woman ever to lead it.

The Call

When America tries to strip our rights, Black women in Lancaster answer the call. That isn't a slogan. It's what's happening right now in this county. Beverly Malone, Cheryl Holland Jones, and Stephanie Atkins didn't wait for a mandate. They built one.

Join them Sunday, October 4, at 9:30 AM at Bethel AME Church, 450 E. Strawberry Street, for Collective Civic Sunday. Then follow Souls to the Polls, Lancaster, as it moves through the county in the weeks that follow. Get registered, and bring someone who isn't.