By Dr. Kenneth T. Whalum Jr.

The Pen from Tel Aviv

I am holding a souvenir ink pen in my hand. It is a modest thing, stamped with the logo of the Setai, a luxury resort hotel in Tel Aviv, Israel. To anyone else, it is a piece of plastic. To me, it is a recurring reminder of the day the illusions shattered.

On October 7, 2023, I was sitting in that hotel with my son, Cameron, who was out there on a world tour performing with Bruno Mars. That morning, the world exploded. Hamas launched its horrific, bloody, and coordinated assault on Israel. We didn't just read about it; we heard it, felt it, and lived it. By the absolute, unmerited grace of Almighty God, we escaped by the skin of our teeth. God brought me home to Memphis, but He did not bring me back the same man.

When you look into the abyss of sudden, violent chaos—when you realize how quickly human life can be snuffed out by radicalism and systemic failure—you lose your appetite for trivialities. You stop tolerating the superficial. You realize, with an urgency that burns in your chest, that life is far too short to play games. Yet, I returned home to Memphis only to find a city completely paralyzed by games. Political games. Partisan games. Power games. And who is paying the price for these games? Our children. Our communities. Our future.

When I heard that my longtime friend, former State Representative John DeBerry Jr., was throwing his hat into the ring for Shelby County Mayor, the clarity of that October morning came rushing back. I made up my mind instantly, regardless of who else signed up to run: I am supporting this man.

Let me be entirely transparent, because the hour is too late for political politeness: I am a registered Democrat. I was born and bred in a Democrat home. I grew up believing the party stood for the vulnerable. But I have reached a point where I must declare that I am more Memphian than I am Democrat. I am what I call a "limocrat"—a Memphis Democrat who draws a hard, unyielding line when the party’s policies begin to destroy the very people they claim to protect. I stand for what is right, and right now, the Democrat establishment in this city is profoundly wrong.

The Anatomy of an "Inevitability" Cult

There is a dangerous, intoxicating spirit blowing through the political corridors of Shelby County. It is the spirit of inevitability. The Democratic machine operates on the arrogant assumption that because Memphis has a certain demographic and a historical partisan leaning, the establishment candidate is automatically entitled to the mayor's office. They expect the community to blindly pull the lever for the party name, regardless of the rot accumulating on the streets.

We have to crush and crash that spirit of inevitability.

Look at the math. In our local cycles, we routinely see an abysmal 16% voter turnout. Think about that. Decades of civic destiny, economic policy, and community safety are decided by a tiny fraction of the population because the vast majority has been lulled into believing their voices do not matter. Our local elections are not won by overwhelming mandate; they are decided by the people who don't show up.

The establishment counts on that apathy. They rely on you staying home, assuming the outcome is pre-ordained. But I am here to tell you that if we break the cycle of silence, if we shake off the slumber and show up to the ballot box, we can shatter that machine completely. If we vote, we can win.

I know some people get nervous when a pastor talks like this. I can feel the tension in the room whenever I speak these truths aloud. The political operative class immediately reaches for their favorite weapon: they label you a traitor, or worse, they try to weaponize identity politics against you. Let them call me whatever they want. You cannot let the superficial opinions of desperate politicians determine where you stand in this life. The truth doesn’t have a color, it doesn't have a political primary, and it cannot be hidden under a partisan rug.

An Indictment of Domestic Decay

Let us speak the truth loudly and proudly, no matter how uncomfortable it makes the local leadership: the inner city of Memphis has been treated like an economic and social ghetto for as long as the current political class and their political families have held the keys to office.

If these politicians were truly for the people, if their platforms were actually designed to uplift the marginalized, our historic neighborhoods wouldn't still be trapped in generational decay.

You cannot claim to be a champion of the community when the visible evidence of your decades-long tenure is urban blight, failing schools, and a skyrocketing crime rate that forces businesses to flee. You cannot argue with the physical reality of our streets.

For twenty years, we have watched politicians drive through the same distressed zip codes, making the same hollow promises every election cycle, only to retreat to their secure offices while the local population navigates an environment akin to a war zone. We have tolerated mediocrity from our leaders, and we are reaping the whirlwind.

We are caught in a tragic cultural loop:

• Step 1: One generation tolerates political incompetence and rising crime.

• Step 2: The next generation embraces it as the baseline standard of reality.

• Step 3: Our children grow up believing that bad schools, corrupt systems, and unsafe streets are simply "the way it is."

I refuse to accept that diagnosis. I refuse to believe that Memphis is structurally condemned to be a monument to missed potential. We have tried it the establishment's way for decades. We have dug up the same old political bones, placed them back into positions of executive power, and then acted shocked when we didn't get a different result. It is insanity masquerading as loyalty.

Why John DeBerry is the Catalyst We Need

The antidote to a political machine built on conformity is an individual built on conviction. That is why John DeBerry’s candidacy is a direct threat to the status quo, and it is exactly why he is the leader Shelby County desperately requires.

John is a man of deep, unshakeable faith and institutional courage. For twenty-six years, he represented District 90 in Nashville as a Democrat. He didn't lose his seat because the voters rejected him; he was forcibly removed from the primary ballot by a tribunal of radical, out-of-town party elites because he refused to compromise his core beliefs on life, family, and educational reform. They muted his microphone on a casual Zoom call during a pandemic, thinking they could silence his legacy.

But what they intended for political destruction, God transformed into a broader platform. Governor Bill Lee recognized DeBerry’s cross-partisan statesmanship and appointed him as a senior advisor—making him the highest-ranking African American to ever hold that role in the executive branch of Tennessee.

John understands how to make government work for the people because he has actually seen it function at the highest levels. He knows that the state of Tennessee balances its budget and secures its rainy day fund not by magic, but through disciplined, adult governance. He is a shepherd and a statesman who can bridge the deep racial, socioeconomic, and geographic chasms that keep Shelby County fractured. While current leadership fails to even meet consistently with suburban mayors, John is a leader who will bring everyone—from Collierville to the inner city—to the same table.

Putting Skin in the Game

When I look back at that day at the Setai Hotel in Tel Aviv, I remember the feeling of absolute clarity. When everything is stripped away, all that matters is what you did with the time you were given, and whether you had the courage to protect the vulnerable.

Our historic city is at a tipping point. We cannot afford another four years of administrative isolation, political posturing, and partisan games while our communities sink further into despair. This is our moment to reclaim Shelby County.

I don't have a fortune, but I sat down with my wife, Sheila, and with her permission, I used this very pen from Tel Aviv to write a check for $200 to John DeBerry's campaign. It isn't about the dollar amount; it is about putting skin in the game. It is about signaling that we are no longer willing to buy what the establishment is selling.

The early voting period begins July 17th, leading up to the general election on August 6th. Do not wait until August. Do not let the machine control the narrative or the turnout. We need to activate our networks, fire up our text chains, utilize our social media, and get our people to the polls early.

Let the career politicians play their games. We are playing for the lives of our children, the safety of our streets, and the soul of Memphis. It is time to break the chains of partisan habit and vote for the courage of conviction. Vote early, vote right down the line, and let us finally possess the victory this county deserves.