ALEXANDRIA, La. (UrbanCast: 7/22/2026) — One question echoed through the room Monday night during the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus’s “Power & Progress: The Path Forward for Louisiana” town hall.
How do you convince people their vote matters if they don’t believe they matter?
That question came from Alexandria resident Lutien Revo, whose comments became one of the evening’s most memorable exchanges.
Revo said many people in his community have lost faith in the political process. He pointed to Louisiana’s history of political corruption and said many residents question whether their voices truly make a difference.
But he said the problem runs deeper than politics.
According to Revo, many people simply don’t feel seen.
“If y’all really want the people,” he said, “y’all gotta come to the block. Y’all gotta come to the hood. Y’all gotta be transparent.”
Revo urged elected officials and community organizations to spend more time where people actually live. He said conversations about voting should happen in neighborhoods, churches and other places where people already gather, not only during election season or at organized events.
He also questioned whether enough people know where to vote, how to vote or what elected officials are doing to remove barriers facing communities that have long felt left behind.
Power Coalition for Equity & Justice moderator Jolan Jolivette responded by saying those concerns reflect the work his organization is already trying to do. He spoke about building relationships, taking conversations into neighborhoods and meeting people where they are.
He said the conversations started Monday night should continue with families, churches, barbershops and throughout the community.
As the forum turned to the upcoming elections, the discussion briefly shifted. Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus Chair Candace Newell, District 99, then stepped in, inviting Revo back to the microphone to expand on his point.
Moments later, State Rep. Tammy Phelps, District 3, asked him a simple question.
“If we came into the community today, what should that look like?”
Revo’s answer changed the conversation.
He said people don’t want leaders to show up only asking for votes.
They want leaders who first acknowledge what families live with every day.
He spoke about abandoned houses, struggling neighborhoods, limited opportunities for young people and communities that often feel forgotten.
“Talk to each other like we talk to each other,” Revo said. “We know our people suffering. We know it’s real.”
He said trust grows when leaders show up consistently, listen first and build relationships before asking for support.
The exchange became one of the night’s defining moments because it wasn’t really about politics.
It was about trust.
It was about whether people feel heard.
And it was about what it will take to reconnect communities that no longer believe government is listening.
UrbanCast is sharing the full exchange so viewers can watch it in context and draw their own conclusions.
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