FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT: Vanessa Mbonu/ [email protected]
Message Underscores the Importance of Elections Taking Place on November 6
BALTIMORE (November 4, 2018)–With the midterm elections on Tuesday, NAACP has partnered with other prominent civil rights groups to release a special public service announcement (PSA) aimed at mobilizing voters in the last days of campaign season. Watch the video here.
The PSA, premiering today, features prominent civil rights and social justice leaders. Participating in the video are: Civil Rights icon Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.; NAACP president and CEO, Derrick Johnson; National Urban League president, Marc Morial; NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund president and director-counsel, Sherrilyn Ifill; The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation president and CEO, Melanie Campbell; Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights president and CEO, Vanita Gupta; UnidosUS president and CEO, Janet Murguia; Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law president, Kristen Clarke; Labor Leader, Bill Lucy; and NAACP national director for youth and college, Tiffany Dena Loftin.
Written and directed by NAACP Image Awards and Emmy Award-winning producer Vicangelo Bulluck, of Vicangelo Films, Inc., Mr. Bulluck stated that “It was an honor and a privilege to be asked to work on this project.” He also stated that “This is a time for all Americans to stand up and be counted. The 2018 midterms will define who we are as a people.”
“We understand that social justice is not a competition but a collaborative effort to make a positive and progressive change in this country,” said NAACP President Derrick Johnson. “That is why we were eager to bring together all of these diverse voices in the name of freedom, justice, and progress. We as voters must stop conceding our profitability to the majority class. There is too much at stake for the elections in November, and the decisions that we make now will affect generations to come. We each have the power, not just to vote, but also to empower others to make their voices heard at the ballot box.”
“Now is not the time to become weary or discouraged; now is the time to vote,” said Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. “The challenges we face are real. But every bit as real is the power of the American people to make their voices heard. We have that power. On November 6, let’s use it.”
“The future of our representative democracy is on the ballot in 2018 midterm elections. On November 6th, the people will vote to decide if our nation moves forward to a time of hope and change for all of its people or move backward where racial discrimination and hate drives our democracy backward in time. I thank the NAACP and my fellow civil rights colleagues for joining together to encourage our communities to leverage our voting power to elect candidates on a national, state and local level who believe and support our issues including civil rights, human rights, women’s rights, racial, economic and social justice for all Americans,” said Melanie Campbell, president and CEO of The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation.
“This is one of the most important elections of our lifetimes,” said Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. “So much is at stake: civil and human rights, the rule of law, the principles of democracy. For the last two years, the Trump administration has promoted dangerous policies that seek to silence and scapegoat communities of color, immigrants, women, LGBTQ people, people with disabilities, and more. Such policies have caused too many people in America to fear for their safety and even their lives. But hope is not lost. As voters, we have the power to end family separation at the border and push for criminal justice reform. We can protect voting rights and reject white supremacy. For two and a half centuries, people in America have stood boldly and bravely in the way of injustice. Now it is our turn. Change is within our reach. People must believe in the power of their voice and vote their values on November 6.”
“We are honored to join with the NAACP and our other civil rights partners in mobilizing our communities to vote in this critically important midterm election. What unites all of us are not only the concerns we have in common but our vision for what America can and ought to be for all its people,” said Janet Murguía, president and CEO UnidosUS.
“Millennials, specifically millennials of color, will be an important power bloc in the midterms,” said NAACP Director of Youth and College Division Tiffany Dena Loftin. “Everyday our communities suffer because of bad decisions made by elected officials and I am hopeful that this will be an important driver to motivate young people to become active and vote. In the midst of the political chaos, lies, pain, and confusion, we must ensure the voices of Black and Brown youth don’t go silent and give them the tools to help fix democracy and improve our communities.”
As part of an aggressive research-based civic engagement strategy, NAACP is focusing in on targeted voter registration and turn out in 2018. The strategy, driven by findings in the organization’s research collaboration with GSSA, a Colorado data analytics group, will set the stage for the next five years by ensuring equitable outcomes for all communities.
The PSA is the culminating video in a series that has enlisted the support of key partners to engage voters. Previous videos from this campaign have featured political commentators, faith leaders, entertainers, and youth influencers.
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About NAACP
Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s foremost and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities. You can read more about the NAACP’s work and our six “Game Changer” issue areas here.
About National Urban League
The mission of the Urban League movement is to enable African Americans and other underserved urban residents to secure economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights.
About NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. is America’s premier legal organization fighting for racial justice. Through litigation, advocacy, and public education, LDF seeks structural changes to expand democracy, eliminate disparities, and achieve racial justice in a society that fulfills the promise of equality for all Americans.
About The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation
The National Coalition envisions a nation in which all people, from youth to seniors, have the tools to participate fully in the democratic process at the local, state, national and global levels. By continuing to lead the fight to eliminate barriers to civic participation, the Coalition will promote greater social and economic justice to enhance the quality of African American life.
About The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the civil and human rights of all persons in the United States. Through advocacy and outreach to targeted constituencies, The Leadership Conference works toward the goal of a more open and just society – an America as good as its ideals.
About Unidos US
Since 1968, UnidosUS—formerly known as NCLR—has remained a trusted, nonpartisan voice for Latinos.
About Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
The principal mission of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is to secure equal justice for all through the rule of law, targeting in particular the inequities confronting African Americans and other racial and ethnic minorities. The Lawyers’ Committee is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to enlist the private bar’s leadership and resources in combating racial discrimination and the resulting inequality of opportunity – work that continues to be vital today.
