I Matter, I Vote: The Black Women’s Agenda Hosts Virtual Voting Rights Town Hall During Its 43rd Annual Symposium
WASHINGTON – The Black Women’s Agenda, Inc. (BWA) went on the offensive today, hosting a virtual town hall devoted to protecting and securing the voting rights of African Americans and other people of color during its 43rd Annual Symposium. Moderated by Heather McGhee, Board Chair, The Color of Change, a panel of prominent political activists and observers – including Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, President, Repairers of the Breach and Co-chair, Poor People’s Campaign; Dr. Johnetta B. Cole, anthropologist, educator and Board Chair of The National Council of Negro Women, Inc.; Dr. Eddie S. Glaude Jr., an esteemed author, commentator and Chairman of Princeton University’s Department of African-American Studies, and Aisha C. Mills, a nationally renowned political strategist and social impact advisor – discussed strategies for combatting voter suppression, registering and engaging African-American voters, and ensuring that they have the opportunity to make their voices heard.
BWA’s Annual Symposium Workshop & Awards Luncheon traditionally draws nearly two thousand attendees, including elected officials, journalists, corporate and community leaders. Many of those supporters participated in today’s town hall, along with members of BWA’s 24 national collaborating organizations – sororities, civic, service, and faith-based – representing millions of women worldwide. BWA is actively supporting voter registration, education, and mobilization drives its National Collaborating Organizations are leading in cities and towns across the country. It is also partnering with Common Cause, a 50-year-old network of democracy experts and supporters dedicated to modernizing elections and making them more fair, secure, and accessible.
“Misinformation, disinformation, call it what you like. In the small town in Georgia where I grew up, a lie is a lie,” insisted BWA President Gwainevere Catchings Hess. “African Americans have an extraordinary opportunity to impact this election, but we have to be smart about the attempts to manipulate us. We can’t let people tell us our vote doesn’t matter, because more than ever it does. A wise woman once shared, ‘Voting is not only our right; it is our power.’ On November 3, we vow to be powerful.”
Founded in 1977 in Washington, DC, The Black Women’s Agenda, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c) 3 organization that generates awareness and support for issues that secure, protect, and advance the rights of Black women and their families. Through the establishment of a social priorities agenda, BWA facilitates discussions that lead to effective policies and meaningful change. For additional information about BWA, please visit www.bwa-inc.org.
