When I think about the upcoming election, like many of you, so many thoughts fill my mind. One thing that we must not forget is that many brave men and women protested, marched, were arrested, and even died working toward voting equality. Today, we have the power to influence the decisions that affect the quality of life we want for ourselves and for future generations.  Voting is our chance to stand up for the issues that we care about. Elections are decided by the people who go out and vote. Be diligent and take some time to learn more about the topics and the candidates locally and nationally. If you don’t vote, someone else will make the decision for you. Keep in mind that if we want to make a positive impact on our community, our state and this country, voting gives us that chance! I hope that this edition of our newsletter encourages you and provides some insight as you prepare for this upcoming election.

Sincerely,

Shantelle Nix

Executive Director

Thank you for honoring me with this opportunity to share with you and your members a few thoughts about the urgency and importance of voting – especially about the importance of getting young African American people to vote.

As you know, an integral part of Black history has been the constant struggle of our people to achieve and maintain equal voting rights. For in the early days of our Republic, voting was a privilege reserved exclusively for land-owning White men. Women could not vote, nor could any Black Americans. And worse than that, most Black people weren’t even counted as whole people by the new US Constitution, but instead were counted as only three-fifths of a person.