Big Mama Said: “Don’t Talk About It, Get Up and Be About It.”

By: Terry Allen:

Lucille “Big Mama” Allen didn’t waste breath on long speeches. She believed in rolling up her sleeves, tightening her apron, and moving. Her life taught me early that real authority doesn’t come from how loud you talk — it comes from how consistently you walk. Big Mama’s quiet strength shaped generations of us because she modeled what she expected. If she said “stand tall,” she stood taller. If she said “do right,” she did right. And she always reminded me, “People watch what you do far more than they hear what you say.” I want to do that with the history of Blacks at Southern Methodist University (SMU) as I hear the stories of history makers that have been forgotten and rally those alumni ready to ignite!

That lesson echoes across our history, especially through the life of Charles Evers, brother of the martyred civil rights hero Medgar Evers. When Medgar was assassinated, Charles didn’t drown in grief — he got to work. He organized boycotts, protests, and massive voter registration campaigns that brought Mississippi to a standstill. His mission lasted long after the headlines faded.

And then came 1969 — Fayette, Mississippi stood up and elected Charles Evers as the first African American mayor of a racially mixed town since Reconstruction. Not because he talked a good game, but because he took the risk to do the work. Fannie Lou Hamer said it best: “You can pray until you faint, but unless you get up and try to do something, God is not going to put it in your lap.”

Some say knowledge is power. Let me tell you the truth Big Mama taught me:

Knowledge becomes power only when you put action behind it.

Frederick Douglass backed that up when he said, “I prayed for twenty years but received no answer until I prayed with my legs.”

That is the power of decisive action. That’s how communities shift. That’s how families rise. That’s how destinies change. If you want to see this in action, check out the actions of the Divine 9 and their legacy of impact in the USA.

Madam C.J. Walker lived it too. She said,

“I had to make my own living and my own opportunity. But I made it!”

Her words remind us that legacy isn’t inherited — it’s built.

And family, that’s why I want you in the room for our upcoming ThanksLiving event, a history-making moment for our community. When A’Lelia Bundles — the legacy carrier of Madam C.J. Walker — steps to that podium, you won’t just hear history… you’ll become a history maker yourself.

Big Mama would smile and say,

“Don’t talk about it — show up and be about it.”

Blessings.

Terry Allen is an NABJ award-winning Journalist, DEI expert, PR professional, and founder of the charity – Vice President at Focus- PR, Founder of City Men Cook, and Dallas Chapter President of NBPRS.org