NC Black Alliance Announces Support for “A Call to Colors” – GDN Exclusive, Vol. II, Part XXVI
by Cash Michaels, GDN Contributing Writer 11/06/2019Saying that “There is no time better than now, specifically in North Carolina, for like-minded organizations to align our approach to voter education and registration,” NC Senator Valerie Foushee (D-District 23-Chatham, Orange), chairwoman of the NC Black Alliance, has announced NCBA’s strong support for “A Call to Colors, (ACTC),” the Greater Diversity News-sponsored civic engagement campaign targeting the African-American community, and specifically students on North Carolina HBCU (historically black college and university) campuses with voter registration, education and mobilization efforts for the crucial 2020 elections (View endorsement letter here).
The North Carolina Black Alliance is “…an intergovernmental network of African American legislators, county commissioners, school board members and municipal elected officials centered by a commitment to ambitiously address broad issues of inequality and fairness. These issues range from voting rights, gerrymandering, criminal justice reform, health and wellness, economic development, to education”… and more, NCBA states.
“[The NCBA]…stands on the firm belief that collective power provokes collective action, and we are thrilled to support and align our ongoing efforts to convene black leaders, elected official, community advocates and grassroots organizations with the timely mission and goals of GDN’s “A Call to Colors” campaign,” Sen. Foushee said in a recent statement.
“This campaign, by activating students on college campuses, HBCUs, and the Black Greek Letter organizations that make up the National Pan-Hellenic Council, has made it clear that the future of a civically engaged community is not put to rest when the work of early trailblazers becomes historical recitation, but lives on in ever evolving ways that we sustain the freedoms they fought for.”
Senator Foushee, in a recent phone interview, also joined with other organizational leaders in calling for financial support for “A Call to Colors,” in addition to asking their members to do outreach in public addresses, and requesting their constituents to support ACTC by signing up for GDN’s eNews, and inviting their friends to do the same, in order to stay on top of continuing efforts to build its voter registration, education and mobilization efforts statewide.
“Certainly, seems reasonable,” Senator Foushee said. “That’s what the alliance is about. Collective power, as we say, provokes collective action.”
ORGANIZING YOUR VOTER MOBILIZATION MODEL
- Create a standing voter participation committee in your organization,
- Ask each organizational member to volunteer 8, 16, 24 hours or more per election cycle,
- Volunteer through the NAACP or other nonpartisan organization,
- Have a member assigned to NAACP meetings to help keep your organization abreast of its civic engagement activities, and
- Keep records of your volunteer hours.
Email [email protected] with request that Greater Diversity write an article about your efforts. Enter “Article” in the subject line. To get updated information about “A Call to Colors”, sign up for GDN’s free eNews edition at: greaterdiversity.com.