I Am Empowered - I am the National Urban League

The theme for this year’s National Urban League Conference was Occupy The Vote, a clarion call to "educate, employ and empower" individuals to fight discriminatory voting practices. More importantly, it was an appeal for participants to occupy the polls and get out the vote.
 
The conference theme follows current political debate on whether voter identification laws are, as National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial calls it, “a return to the old South,” and an effort to disenfranchise millions of Americans, expressly minorities and low-income communities.
 
This debate was brought to life during the conference’s “Occupy The Vote: Are Voting Rights Under Attack” plenary. During the opening remarks, session moderator and political commentator Jeff Johnson promised the conversation would be more than a “panel of brilliant people pontificating on the problem and leaving us in the same place we’ve been in.” Instead, he challenged panelists to tell us how to achieve democracy despite legislative efforts to block the vote. He asked panelists to share “what’s next?” What can individuals do to mobilize others and get out the vote?
 
The discussion gave context to the political hot topic, exploring how similar voter suppression tactics were used during the Jim Crow era. It offered diverse perspectives on the issue, particularly as the discourse heated between Republican political strategist Ron Christie and other panelists. And, more importantly, it left the audience with quantifiable solutions, strategies, and recommendations on how to mobilize communities to become more civically engaged.
 
Solutions ranged from a “you + two” drive to the polls to using hip-hop artists in a campaign to register and educate younger voters—a tactic that panelist Rev. Lennox Yearwood can attest was successful in previous election years.
 
Additional recommendations on how to get out the vote included:

• Make voter resources accessible through Internet and mobile devices. Barbara Arnwine, Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, introduced the Map of Shame—an interactive tool to show states that have passed government-issued photo ID laws; and the Election Protection Smartphone App.
• Educate voters on the impact of the minority vote. Chanelle Hardy, Executive Director of the National Urban League Policy Institute, explained how African-American voter turnout tipped the presidential election in 2008, and a decline in their turnout in 2012 will play a major factor in the presidential outcome, especially in critical swing states. Read more about “The Hidden Swing Voters: Impact of the African-Americans in 2012” here.
• Tailor outreach efforts to specific audiences. President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater New Orleans Nolan Rollins, and activist and author Kevin Powell both spoke to putting a face and value to the right to vote. Powell further mentioned we must meet our audience where they are—social media may work for some, door-to-door for others.

Panelist Warren Ballentine, political activist and radio talk show host, also offered a unique assessment of the mobilization efforts he says is needed with a philosophy he calls “geese sense.” Watch the plenary session on-demand for this and other highlights.
 
Despite the differing opinions, all panelists agreed we each have a responsibility to ensure democracy is accessible to all Americans. Whether fighting legislation or ensuring individuals have the proper ID to vote, we must play our part in upholding the civil liberties afforded to us and get out the vote.