Something remarkable is happening here in Dorchester County.
I’ve watched voters line up before the polls opened. I’ve watched parents bring their children to vote and explain that this was what their ancestors fought and died for, the right to have a say. I’ve watched neighbors who never imagined they’d run for office step forward because they realized they could help create the change they wanted to see.
What I’ve witnessed here is part of something happening across our state. More than 855,000 South Carolinians cast ballots in the June primary, the highest turnout in a South Carolina midterm primary in recorded history. More people are voting. More people are running for office.
Democracy doesn’t happen to us. It only works when enough of us decide to participate.
Lately, more people are choosing to participate.
That gives me hope.
A few months ago, I noticed a sign on the front door of a neighbor’s home in Summerville’s historic district:
“We love refugees and immigrants.”
My father came to this country at 17, fleeing war-torn Greece. My mother’s Greek immigrant parents settled in Summerville in the 1930s. For more than 40 years, my uncle owned The Continental Corner Greek Restaurant just off Summerville’s town square. My mother spent decades teaching in Dorchester School District Two.
My family’s story has been intertwined with this community for generations.
That’s why that sign isn’t about politics. It’s a reminder that neighbors in our community believe kindness, compassion, and welcoming others make us stronger. They care about this community and want to make it better.
That’s the spirit I hope to build on.
As I begin serving as chair of the Dorchester County Democratic Party, one question is at the heart of everything I hope to accomplish: What kind of community do we want to build together?
My answer is this: Let’s build a community where everyone is invited to help make Dorchester County better, because that work belongs to all of us.
I want Dorchester County to be a place where neighbors look out for one another, our public schools are a source of pride, constitutional freedoms are valued, and everyone belongs.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. described that vision as the Beloved Community, a society rooted in justice, compassion, and a shared responsibility for one another. I believe we’re already beginning to build it here at home.
With less than three months until the midterm election, there’s one thing every one of us can do: vote.
If you can do more, volunteer. Organize. Talk with your neighbors. Help someone get to the polls. Every act of participation strengthens our community.
We won’t agree on everything, and that’s okay. Unity doesn’t require unanimity. It requires a shared commitment to something bigger than ourselves.
When I became chair, someone I admire offered me a simple piece of advice:
“Go make the world incrementally better.”
I’ve come to believe that’s how real change happens. Not through one extraordinary act, but through ordinary people each doing their small part.
Vote.
Volunteer.
Leave your community a little better than you found it.
That’s how communities change.
That’s how we build the Beloved Community.
Alexia Niketas is chair of the Dorchester County Democratic Party, an attorney, and a longtime advocate for civic engagement, constitutional rights, and voter protection. She lives in Summerville’s historic district.
To learn more or get involved, visit dorchesterdemocrats.com
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