Big Mama Said: A Closed Mouth Doesn’t Get Fed— and a Silent Voter Gets Starved

By Terry Allen

Big Mama Lucille Allen was more than just a matriarch—she was a moral compass, a front-porch philosopher, and a fierce believer in the power of voice. She survived Jim Crow, marched during the Civil Rights Movement, and raised generations who learned that silence, especially in the face of injustice, is a dangerous accomplice. Her advice was “A closed mouth doesn’t get fed.” But she’d always add, “Baby, a silent voice will just get starved.”

Look at our history. The Montgomery Bus Boycott didn’t begin with silence—it started with a voice, with Rosa Parks’ bold “No.” That simple act—refusing to be silent—rippled through a city and birthed a movement. The power came not just from protest, but from participation. Black folks chose to walk, organize, vote, and demand better. They fed the future by speaking up.

Fast forward to today. How many opportunities have slipped through our fingers because we stayed silent at the ballot box? How many school boards, city councils, and state legislatures make decisions about our communities without us because we don’t show up or speak up?

Take City Men Cook, for example. What started as a small cultural tasting has grown into a impactul platform for mentoring and empowering young Black men, infusing mental and physical wellness impacting the lives of man —because a few people had the audacity to speak up and organize. Our men stopped dying so fast as we reduced our Mortality rate from 22% to 4%! Programs like these don’t flourish in silence; they grow because folks showed up, donated time & resources, and demanded corporate investment.

Globally, mentoring models we built here are being replicated from Chicago to Ghana. That only happens when people decide that their voice matters.

So what is on your plate: If you’re tired of being overlooked, outvoted, and underserved, it’s time to stop starving yourself. Open your mouth. Register. Vote. Run. Organize. Join the City Men Cook Movement today. 

Big Mama didn’t raise a quiet voice —she raised  disruptive soldiers.  send me an email to Terryallenpr@gmaii.com and let me know if you see that “noyse” in  me.. 

Join the City Men Cook movement, today email me.

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