I’ve been out in the community lately, talking to people, shaking hands, and all of that good stuff, and my adventures this week took me right to Simpson where my home church St. Mark Baptist hosted their annual Family and Friends Day. Good food, good music, and even better conversations.
That’s where I talked with Mrs. Richmond, someone I’ve known my whole life. As we talked, she started telling me about an issue she’s been dealing with for years. To put it kindly, she is not happy with our elected officials. She spoke about how she doesn’t feel like our elected officials are listening, and how she’s not afraid to say it to their faces.
Then she told me about her road.
She’s been asking for it to be fixed for years. Not patched, fixed. But instead, they keep filling holes, she says. And if you’ve driven on a road like that (of course you have, you’re in South Carolina), so you already know it turns your drive into an obstacle course or an extension of the part of Carowinds that passes into our borders.
She told me she’s had four tire alignments because of it.
Four.
At this point, the road ain’t just rough, it’s on her payroll.
Then she said something real: “I try to tell my neighbors to start making some noise, but at some point people start to think … what’s the point of voting if they’re not going to do anything for us?”
A lot of people feel that way. Not because they don’t care, but because they feel ignored.
But she’s not giving up. She’s going to keep on making noise and she’s encouraging us to join her in the making of the noise.
Because like a baby that’s getting ignored or that famous squeaky wheel—when you feel ignored, your first instinct is to get louder.
But here’s what I’m learning: It’s not just about more noise.
If noise alone worked, everything would already be fixed. Have you all been to this wonderful place called Facebook? Noisiest place on the planet.
What we need is organized noise.
That looks like people calling at the same time.
Showing up at the same time.
Saying the same thing over and over until something moves.
Because ten people complaining separately is easy to ignore.
Fifty people lined up with the same message? That gets attention.
A hundred? Now we’re having a different conversation.
That’s pressure.
And here’s the other thing I’m seeing. People have ideas. Real ones.
Folks know what’s wrong, and most have a good sense of how to fix it. They just don’t feel heard. That’s the real issue.
So now the question becomes, what’s the plan?
Take the road for example. We all know how long it can take SCDOT to get something done But we’re not asking for an interstate. We’re talking about small roads in small communities.
You mean to tell me we don’t have people right here who know how to fix a road?
We can build houses from the ground up. Fix cars in a driveway with two tools and a prayer. Run a whole church program with no rehearsal.
But a small road? That’s where we get stuck? I don’t accept that.
Maybe part of the solution, is we stop waiting like we’re on hold with a customer service agent in another country and start working together.
Start with your street. Talk to your neighbors. Figure out who knows how to do the work.
That’s how change actually happens. Not one big moment, but consistency. Coordination. And people refusing to be ignored.
That’s what I’m seeing more and more across this county.
And if you’ve been following Kenny’s Corner, you already know we’re learning how this game works, together.
So don’t just read this and move on. Talk about it. Share it. Start a conversation where you are.
Because Mrs. Richmond doesn’t just need a better road. She needs people riding with her.
And if enough of us get on the same road, we might finally smooth some things out around here.
Kenny Robertson, an educator and comedian, is a native of Ridgeway.