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Oct 28, 2016
Ohio ! Ohio! Ohio! Next Stop on the BWR State of Emergency Power of the Sister Vote GOTV Crusade
The Black Women's Roundtable Launches its Power of the Sister Vote "State of Emergency" Voter Crusade in East Cleveland in partnership with Ohio Unity Coalition and Greater Cleveland Black Voters Alliance
Ohio Unity Coalition Focuses on Early Voting and Voter Protection in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Canon, Toledo, Wilberforce
The Black Women's Roundtable launched the second week of its #Power of the Sister Vote (POSV) "State of Emergency" 30-Day National Voter Crusade in Ohio last night at a Black Women's Vote Townhall Forum at the East Cleveland Performing Arts Center, hosted by the Ohio Unity Coalition, Greater Cleveland Black Voter Alliance, Ohio BWR and Higher Heights. The Black Women's Roundtable is the women and girls empowerment arm of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP). The NCBCP is organizing the BWR POSV Crusade in eight states (AL, FL, GA, MI, OH, PA, NC, VA) as a key component of its Unity ‟16 Black Voter Empowerment Campaign. (www.unity16campaign.net)
The POSV Black Women's Vote Townhall focused on maximizing the power and impact of the Black women's vote and discussed issues important to Black women and their families. Speakers also shared critical information on how voters can protect their vote from being disenfranchised in the 2016 Presidential Election in the state of Ohio. “A key concern we have is there are thousands of Ohio voters, many who are minorities and young people, that have been purged from the state voter rolls that should not have been," said Petee Talley, Convener, Ohio Unity Coalition (OUC) & Secretary-Treasurer, OH AFL-CIO.
Talley added, "our partners are working hard across the state to get the word out to voters to know what their voting rights are. If they show up and are told their name is not on the voting rolls they need to know they can vote a provisional ballot. Don't leave your polling place without voting!" The OUC has also set up a section on its website (www.ohiounitycoalition.org) that provides information for voters to check to see if they had been purged and what their options are when they go to vote.
“The most powerful right we have is to decide who we hire or fire as our elected officials. Ohio residents have a lot at stake in the 2016 November elections. We are using every opportunity to educate and motivate Black voters to get to the polls, said Angela Woodson, convener of the Greater Cleveland Voter Alliance, political action chair NAACP Cleveland and member of the BWR.
“Black women are a powerful influence 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, 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 an election.
The OUC is partnering with several civil rights, women's rights and social justice organizations to organize the BWR Voter Crusade in Ohio including a Black Youth Vote "Vote4Justice" Rally at Wilberforce University Chapel on 10/27 and two nights of phone bank in Columbus, Ohio, in partnership with APRI and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Ohio
chapters, on 10/26 & 10/27. The phone bank is focused on calling Black women voters who have not voted in recent elections to encourage them to take advantage of early voting in Ohio.
The BWR Voter Crusade is also organizing a Power of the Sister Vote Tele-Townhall Meeting on Friday, October 28th with thousands of OH Black women voters. An intergenerational group of Black women leaders are invited to speak on the tele-townhall including: Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, Rosyln Brock, Chairman of the National Board, NAACP, Clayola Brown, President, A. Philip Randolph, Petee Talley, Convener, OUC, BWR National Convener Melanie Campbell, president of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, Yandy Smith, Entrepreneur, Reality Star, Love & Hip Hop, VH-1, Tamika Mallory, Board Member, Justice League NY, OH State Senators Sandra Williams and Charleta Tavares and others. The BWR voter crusade in OH will culminate on Saturday, October 27th with canvassing in Canton, Toledo and Cincinnati and a Saturday Sister Strollfor Early Vote in Cleveland Heights.
BWR POSV Voter Crusade National Media Partners include: ESSENCE Magazine, National Newspaper Publishers Association, Politic365
OUC Local Partner Organizations include: Maranth Grand Chapter, OES-PHA AME Zion Church Cleveland District Conference Coalition of Labor Union Women Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Ohio Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Greater Cleveland Alumnae Chapter For Our Future Action Fund Greater Cleveland Black Voter Alliance Ohio AFL-CIO OH Unity Coalition Ohio A. Philip Randolph Institute Ohio Conference NAACP Ohio Prince Hall Grand Lodge Ohio Legislative Black Caucus Women LIUNA -African-American Caucus National Congress of Black Women, Greater Cleveland Chapter National Action Network, Greater Cleveland Chapter NAACP Women, Greater Cleveland Chapter Third District AME Youngstown Community Mobilization Coalition
For more information contact Petee Talley, (OUC) info@ohiounity.org Angela Shute-Woodson (Cleveland), adswoodsono@gmail.co Deidra Reese (Columbus), deidrareese5@gmail.com
@ncbcp_bwr @OhioUnity @work4change @blackyouthvote Black Women’s Roundtable Ohio Unity Coalition (@ohiounitycoalition) @thenationalcoalition HASHTAGS: #powerofthesistervote #vote4justice #voteyourpower #wedecide # # #
