God Is Watching the Powers That Be in Senatobia Over Election Discrepancies

The Southern Truth – Telling the Truth and Nothing But the Truth

By Gloria  Zuurveen, Editor-in-Chief

God knows something just ain’t right in Senatobia, Mississippi—particularly in Ward 3—where the April 22, 2025, Democratic primary outcome has raised serious questions about integrity, transparency, and truth. With just one vote separating Allen Tanksley (132) from Michael Cathey (131), the people deserve more than a rubber stamp. They deserve answers.

I was born and bred in this Five-Star City called Senatobia. I walked from Hudson Street in Newtown to the Bottom to attend the Senatobia Colored School before integration while white students rode buses past us. I marched as a majorette on that school field while Michael Cathey’s father, the late Mr. Cathey, served as our first Black principal. He, alongside strong Black educators like his mother, my third grade teacher, Mrs. Cathey, Mrs. Merriweather, Mrs. Town, and Mrs. LeSure, taught us discipline, dignity, and excellence.  The Cathey name carries weight because it carries history—our history. That’s why what’s happening now in Ward 3 feels like more than just a bad look. It feels like a betrayal.

According to reports in The Tate Record and PACE NEWS, this election has the appearance of a backdoor deal, cloaked in legality but soaked in bias. And from what has been reported and witnessed, it wasn’t just the process that looked suspicious—it was the behavior of the people in power.

The Mayor was not silent—but rather, actively stood in opposition to Cathey’s rightful challenge. And when Michael Cathey and his supporters pursued the legal process to contest the vote, the Judge entered the proceedings with clear partisan mannerisms, dismissing neutrality and failing the community. The final blow came when Republican operatives disrupted a properly called Democratic meeting, derailing the process and leaving voters in the dark.

This was a Democratic primary, yet the Mississippi Secretary of State—Republican-led—swiftly signed off on the results, without due input from the Democratic Executive Committee. If that’s not questionable, I don’t know what is.

We can’t sit back and let this kind of political slight-of-hand go unchallenged. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

This isn’t just about Senatobia. This is about a national pattern of subtle voter suppression and political manipulation—especially in Black communities. If we don’t call it out now, it will happen again—quietly, efficiently, and devastatingly.

It’s worth noting that the outcry for justice in Tate County has not come without consequences. Reports have surfaced that the Tate Record publisher, who initially appeared to stand for truth and journalistic integrity, has been dismissed—possibly for doing just that. I reached out to her at the number listed for the Tate Record on deadline to ask questions, but as of this writing, she has not returned my call.

If standing up for truth is what gets you silenced in Senatobia, then the people must get even louder. Because when journalists are targeted and elections are treated like backroom deals, democracy itself is on the line.

That’s why Michael Cathey cannot and must not stop fighting. This is about more than just one vote. This is about validating the voices of the people who believe in fair, just, and accountable leadership.

That’s why we must take this message beyond Mississippi. The nation needs to know what’s happening here. Civil rights leaders, national media, election integrity watchdogs, and the Department of Justice must be made aware that democracy is under threat in small towns just as much as big cities.

Let’s be clear—this isn’t just about Michael Cathey or Allen Tanksley. It’s about preserving Black political power in Senatobia. It’s about defending the sacred right to vote—and to have that vote truly count. It’s about stopping the quiet creep of control that comes when we let our guard down and trust processes that were never built for us in the first place.

Michael Cathey is standing firm—and he should. Because this is not over. The people deserve to see justice done, not just seen. And if the Mississippi Secretary of State, the local judiciary, and the Mayor are all willing to overlook a community’s outcry for a clean and fair contest, then we must ask: Who are they really serving?

Let this serve as a wake-up call to Senatobia and to Black voters across Mississippi:
Stay woke. Stay watchful. And stay ready.

Because The Southern Truth will always tell the truth—and nothing but the truth.
And know this: God is watching.