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Oct 17, 2016
Black Women's Roundtable Mounts Intense Nationwide #PoweroftheSisterVote Campaign
Black Women’s Roundtable Mounts Intense Nationwide “Power of the Sister Vote! Campaign
State of Emergency #PoweroftheSisterVote Voter Crusade Launches in Georgia, Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia , Florida, Alabama, Michigan and Pennsylvania to Protect & Maximize Black Voter Turnout November 8th
#powerofthesistervote #wedecide
(Washington, D.C. ) - Black women leaders, led by the Black Women’s Roundtable (BWR) and the Unity’16 Campaign of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP), have joined forces to organize a month-long intense multi-faceted GOTV and multi-media campaign to ensure millions of Black women and millennial voters turn out for the November 8th The Black Women’s Roundtable announced its “STATE OF EMERGENCY” Power of the Sister Vote Voter Crusade (BWR Voter Crusade), in partnership with its national and state-based partners, that also unveiled plans to work together to combat voter suppression, a key concern in minority communities across the country.
Melanie L. Campbell, convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable and president & ceo of NCBCP, “Black women are a powerful force when it comes to getting our families and friends out to vote and we are the ‘secret sauce’ to who gets elected to the White House, Congress, state and local elections” said, Melanie L. Campbell, national convener, Black Women’s Roundtable. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Black women have been the most consistent voting bloc as a demographic since 2006. In both 2008 and 2012, Black women redefined voting history by becoming the largest demographic group to cast ballots in a national presidential election; and in 2008 Black youth voted higher than any youth voting demographic.
“Further, we are working diligently with the Black Women’s Roundtable to encourage millennial Black women to take the lead by using peer-to-peer interaction to engage and motivate young people to use their voting power to ensure candidates are held accountable to act on the issues that are most important to them, including criminal justice and policing reform,” shared Tamika Mallory, Board Member, Justice League NY.
For Black women millennials (Ages 18-34), their top issues are Criminal Justice (45%), College Affordability (40%), Affordable Healthcare (40%) and Living Wage Jobs (39%). In September Black Women’s Roundtable/ESSENCE #PoweroftheSisterVote (POSV) Poll of Black women voters indicates they are increasingly concerned about the impact of the 2016 Presidential Election. The top most important issues for Black women voters of all ages, revolve around criminal and economic justice that includes: Affordable Healthcare (53%), Living Wage Jobs (46%), Criminal Justice (45%), and College Affordability (34%).
Several BWR state leaders also expressed concerns about voter suppression and what they were doing to mitigate its impact on voter turnout. “This is the first election in eight years without a Black person at the top of the ticket. Further, we do not have the full protection of the Voting Rights Act and our aim is to not only turn out the Black vote in record numbers in the state of Ohio, but, to ensure that vote is protected and counted, said Petee Talley, Convener, Ohio Unity Coalition and Secretary-Treasurer, OH AFL-CIO.
“In order to address growing concern the Black vote may be suppressed and disenfranchised; and to ensure Black women make history once again in order to leverage their voting power moving forward, we are launching the BWR Power of the Sister Vote STATE OF EMERGENCY GOTV Voter Crusade in several battleground and southern states,” shared Holli Holliday, Esq., Unity ’16 National Campaign Manager, NCBCP. The BWR Voter Crusade organizing activities include marches to the polls, phone banking, canvassing, town halls, and social media in the following states:
Georgia, North Carolina – October 17-23 Ohio, North Carolina, Alabama, Florida – October 23-29 Florida, North Carolina – October 30-November 5 Virginia & Pennsylvania – Blitz Weekends – October 30 and November 5
A detailed calendar can be found at www.unitycampaign.org.
National & State-Based Partners For BWR GOTV Voter Crusade** Melanie L. Campbell, Convener, BWR, President & CEO, NCBCP Danielle Atkinson, Convener, Detroit BWR, Mothering Justice (MI) Cora Barry, Political Scientist & Strategist Salandra Benton, Convener, FL BWR/FCBCP, State Community Organizer, FL AFL-CIO (FL) Clayola Brown, President & CEO, A Philip Randolph Institute’ Latosha Brown, Board Member, NCBCP Helen Butler, Executive Director, GCPA, Convener, GA BWR (GA) Alyssa Canty, Convener, Black Youth Vote North Carolina (NC) Waikinya Clanton, Executive Director, NOBEL WOMEN Felicia Davis, Director, Building Green Initiative @ CAU Mary Pat Hector, Director, Youth Move, NAN Holli Holliday, Esq., Unity ’16 Campaign Manager, NCBCP Janaye Ingram, Civil Rights & Social Justice Advocate Carol Joyner, Director, Labor Project for Working Families, Family Values @ Work Tamika Mallory, Board Member, Justice League NYC Rev. Dr. Judith C. Moore, Convener, Pittsburgh BWR, Sisters Saving Ourselves Now (PA) Honorable Stephanie Moore, Convener, Kalamazoo MI BWR, Mothers of Hope (MI) Ebonie Riley, Washington Bureau Chief, National Action Network Rita Samuels, Founder, Georgia Coalition for the Peoples Agenda Deborah Scott, Executive Director, Georgia Stand Up (GA) Elsie Scott, PhD, Founding Director, Ronald W. Walters Leadership & Policy Center, Howard University Yandy Smith-Harris, Entrepreneur, Reality Star, Love & Hip Hop Petee Talley, Convener, Ohio Unity Coalition, OH BWR, Secretary-Treasurer, OH AFL-CIO (OH) Rev. Dr. Regena Thomas, Civil Rights Advocacy Director, American Federation of Teachers Hon. Sheila Tyson, Convener, AL BWR, ACBCP (AL) Robin Williams, International Vice President, Director, Civil Rights & Community Action, UFCW Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner, Co-Chair, National African American Clergy Network
BWR GOTV Voter Crusade – National Media Partners Vanessa DeLuca, Editor-In-Chief, ESSENCE Magazine Denise Rolark Barnes, Chair of the Board, National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Kristal High, Co-Founder & Editor-In-Chief, Politic365.com
ABOUT BLACK WOMEN’S ROUNDTABLE:
The Black Women's Roundtable (BWR) is the women and girls empowerment arm of The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP). The BWR promotes health and wellness, economic security & prosperity, quality public education and global empowerment. BWR established its Intergenerational Policy Network in 2008, which is comprised of a diverse group of Black women civic leaders representing international, national, regional, and state-based organizations and institutions. Together, the BWR membership represents the issues and concerns of millions of Black people who live across the United States and around the world. For more information visit www.ncbcp.org
