FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
Tenley-Ann Hawkins for The Black Women’s Agenda, Inc.
(914) 841-9717 thawks812@msn.com
I MATTER, I VOTE:
THE BLACK WOMEN’S AGENDA, INC. HOSTS VIRTUAL VOTING RIGHTS
TOWN HALL DURING ITS 43rd ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM
The Color of Change’s Heather McGhee; Rev. Dr. William Barber II; Anthropologist, Educator, and National Council of Negro Women Chair Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole; Princeton Educator, Author, and Commentator Dr. Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., and Political Strategist and Social Impact Advisor Aisha C. Mills discuss Protecting and Mobilizing African-American Voters
WASHINGTON, DC – Friday, September 18, 2020 – 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.
OTHER NEWS
January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month
According to The American Cancer Society, “Cervical cancer was once one of the most common causes of cancer death for American women. The cervical cancer death rate dropped significantly with the increased use of the Pap test for screening. But the death rate has not changed much over the last 15 years.” And several studies show that a disproportionate number of women that die each year from cervical cancer are Black women.
The American Cancer Society also stresses the importance of regular screening for the disease, emphasizing that, “Screening tests offer the best chance to have cervical cancer found early when successful treatment is likely.
I AM THE CHANGE FORUMS
The Black Women’s Agenda, Inc. is taking its “Living Your Best Life At Every Age: I Am The Change” town hall on the road! Introduced with support from AARP at its 41st Annual Symposium in September 2018, the forum encourages participants to consider where they are and want to be from a financial, educational and health perspective, and to be a catalyst for change for themselves, their families, and communities.
SPOTLIGHT ON THE TOP LADIES OF DISTINCTION, INC.
If you are looking for the Top Ladies of Distinction, go into Black communities. You’ll find them planting fruit and vegetable gardens, tidying up historic cemeteries, and removing graffiti. They will be mentoring local teens, hosting workshops and seminars that prepare them for future success, and teaching youth the importance of giving back. They will be providing companionship, conversation and valuable information to the elderly. They will be improving the quality of life in neighborhoods across the United States.
© 2019 The Black Women’s Agenda, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy