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Oct 30, 2018
NATIONAL COALITION ON BLACK CIVIC PARTICIPATION AND A. PHILIP RANDOLPH INSTITUTE ORGANIZE THIRD UNITY ‘18 ‘LET MY PEOPLE VOTE’ NATIONAL ADOPT-A-DAY PHONE BANK
Over 6,000 Florida Households Called Encouraging Voters to Pass Amendment 4 That Would Restore Voting Rights to 1.4 Million Returning Citizens in the State of Florida
Washington, DC (October 30, 2018) -- -- On Monday, October 29th the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP) and A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI) partnered with the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC) and Florida Coalition on Black Civic Participation (FCBCP)---to organize the NCBCP’s third Unity ’18 “Let My People Vote” National Adopt-A-Day Phone Banking Campaign. The phone bank goal on Monday was to remind voters committed to supporting Amendment 4 to vote early or on Election Day and provide information on voting locations and rides to the polls. If passed on November 6th, Amendment 4 would give 1.4 million returning citizens the right to vote in Florida.
Amendment 4 restores the eligibility to vote for individuals with prior non-violent felony convictions in Florida, who have fully completed their entire sentences, including any probation, parole, and restitution. The Amendment specifically excludes those people who have committed murder or a felony sexual offense.
In less than three hours, nearly 6,000 Florida households were called by 75 volunteers through the Unity ’18 #LetMyPeopleVote Adopt-A-Day National Phone Bank from satellite locations in Washington, DC, Orlando, FL and virtually across the country, including the headquarters of the NCBCP and APRI. Additional national and state-based partner organizations that participated in the phone bank included: AFL-CIO, AFSCME, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority – Rho Mu Omega Chapter, Black Women‘s Roundtable, Black Youth Vote, Coalition of Labor Union Women, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Labor Project for Working Families, National Council of Negro Women, National Action Network, National African American Clergy Network, National Urban League and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.
In addition, Roland Martin broadcast his #RolandMartinUnfiltered Daily Digital Show live from the NCBCP offices to highlight the importance of passing Amendment 4 during the #LetMyPeopleVote national phone bank. NCBCP President & CEO Melanie Campbell and A. Phillip Randolph President, Clayola Brown, were interviewed by Roland Martin at the beginning of the show. Click here to view the show.
Melanie L. Campbell, NCBCP President & CEO, states “As a native Floridian, I’m extremely proud to play a role in this movement. I was in my home state this past weekend to participate in the FRRC #LetMyPeopleVote GOTV Bus Tour where we encouraged people to vote for Amendment 4. Tonight, we are continuing to reach out via our national phone bank as a to support FRRC and the FCBCP to get across the finish line that requires at least 60 percent of voters to vote yes for Amendment 4 to pass. We also know that if voters who believe in second chances show up in record numbers, history will be made in Florida.”
Clayola Brown, President of the A. Philip Randolph Institute, added “We are going all out in Florida to get Amendment 4 passed because this is an issue that has hit our communities hard. And it’s not just Black people who are affected. It has hit all communities because there are so many people, of all colors, who have either been incarcerated for crimes that they have never committed or have paid their debt to society and deserve a second chance.”
The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP) was founded in 1976. Today, the NCBCP is one of the most active civil rights and social justice organizations in the nation “dedicated to increasing civic engagement, economic and voter empowerment in Black America.”
www.ncbcp.org
www.unitycampaign.org
The A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI) was founded in, and is an organization of, African-American trade unionists. APRI advocates for social, labor and economic change at the local, state and federal level, www.apri.org.
During the Unity ’18 #LetMyPeople Vote National Phone Bank at the Washington, DC offices of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, Roland Martin interviews Melanie Campbell, NCBCP President & CEO, and Clayola Brown, President of the A. Phillip Randolph Institute.
#LetMyPeopleVote National “Adopt-A-Day” Phone Bank in action at the Washington, DC offices of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation.
Clayola Brown greeting volunteers @ Unity ’18 #LetMyPeopleVote National Phone Bank at the APRI National Office @ AFL-CIO in Washington, DC.
APRI volunteers making calls to Florida Voters @ Unity ’18 #LetMyPeopleVote National Phone Bank at the APRI National Office @ AFL-CIO in Washington, DC.
Some of the volunteers for the Unity ’18 #LetMyPeopleVote National Phone Bank at the Washington, DC offices of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation.
