What gets Souls to the Polls? On Sunday, it was cafecito, pastors and Common the rapper

Monique O. Madan, Christina Saint Louis, Douglas Hanks
·3 min read

In Miami, cafecito feeds the soul. And on Sunday, voters across Miami-Dade made sure to take their “souls to the polls” as makeshift ventanitas waited with Cuban coffee and pastelitos outside some early voting precincts.

“Today we brought our hearts and souls to the polls at South Dade,” tweeted the Miami Freedom Project, a Miami-Dade County political advocacy group. “The polls were a party with a steel drum band, food, delicious cafecitos, and community. Weekend 1 is done, our mobile ventanita will be out next weekend in celebration of democracy.”

For years, South Florida’s Black churches have gathered their flocks on the Sunday before Election Day, leading them to the polls on the final day of early voting. However, amid the coronavirus pandemic, the event dubbed “Souls to the Polls” doubled down on its efforts to encourage people to vote extra early.

Members from at least 22 of South Miami-Dade’s Black churches gathered at Martin Memorial AME Church on Sunday.

American rapper, actor and writer Common speaks before the Souls to the Polls caravan at The Purple Church as part of one of many events prior to the elections on Sunday, October 25, 2020, in Miami, Florida.
American rapper, actor and writer Common speaks before the Souls to the Polls caravan at The Purple Church as part of one of many events prior to the elections on Sunday, October 25, 2020, in Miami, Florida.

Democrats campaigning in the area snagged some star-power attention when the performer Common joined several events, including one at the early-voting site in Naranja. The rapper, whose real name is Lonnie Rashid Lynn, was part of the efforts organized by local pastors.

“It’s a blessed and beautiful Sunday. There’s no place I’d rather be than in South Dade, Florida,” he said from a stage set up outside the Purple Church in Perrine while wearing a “Run DLC” T-shirt provided by Daniella Levine Cava’s Miami-Dade County mayoral campaign. “You encouraging people to go out and vote is an act of letting God work through you.”

Forming a caravan, attendees then headed to the South Dade Regional Library where they could step inside to vote or deposit mail ballots at the outdoor drop box.

Either way, the message was clear: Get out and vote.

“This is the time to get out and let your voice be known,” said Pastor Robert Brooks of St. Peter’s Missionary Baptist Church from a stage that was set up outside the library. As the event’s organizer, he emceed through the day, mobilizing voters with messages about unity and civic engagement.

The crowd was multigenerational — children dancing to gospel music and awaiting giveaways while older parishioners sat in shaded areas enjoying barbecue and seafood they had picked up at nearby food trucks.

Tema McKinney, 38, who has been a member of Brooks’ church for six years, said it was important for her to vote this year to protect access to healthcare.

“I have a preexisting condition,” she said. “I’m one of the one’s that can lose a lot.”

By the time she made it to Souls to the Polls, she had already cast her ballot for Joe Biden.

Tony Triplett, 18, a first-time voter who also attends Brooks’ church, chose Biden as well. “I just wanted to vote for somebody that’s going to be for us — Black people,” he said.

On Saturday, President Donald Trump made a South Florida appearance, casting his ballot at an early voting site in West Palm Beach.

As of Sunday, more than 5.7 million voters, 40.6% of Florida’s active registered voters, have already cast mail-in or early votes in the Nov. 3 general election, according to the Florida Department of Elections.

In early voting so far, two million people in Florida have cast their ballots. The rest sent in a mail-in ballot.