Company description::
Washington, DC - A coalition of political, business, and civic organizations launched the Unity '04 Civic Engagement and Voter Empowerment Campaign (Unity ’04), during a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, DC last week. The coalition also released the results of an issues poll measuring opinions about the social and economic status of Black Americans over the past three years.
A non-partisan initiative harnessing the power of over 100 influential Black organizations, Unity ’04 is determined to increase Black voter turnout and make sure each vote is counted on Election Day. Participating organizations in the campaign represent a membership base of close to 15 million.
“We’ve identified the issues and developed a plan to maximize the resources of the participating organizations. We must address the critical issues facing Black America at the national, state and local levels. Unity ’04 is about empowerment,” said Marc Morial, president of National Urban League.
The poll, conducted by Dr. Silas Lee of Dr. Silas Lee & Associates, found that Black American voters feel a prevailing sense of despair that jobs, public education, health care, availability of affordable housing and civil liberties have gotten worse over the past three years. Unity ’04 will seize the black issue agenda to mobilize black voters.
There are 15 million registered Black voters and about 9 million unregistered. Unity ’04’s goal is to register one million new voters and increase Black voter turnout five percent in targeted states.
Among the target states are Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and South Carolina, all of which have a Black voting age population that can influence the outcome of a close election.
Unity ’04 partners have longstanding relationships and credibility in the Black community. They include the National Urban League, 100 Black Men of America, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, UniverSoul Circus, and the National Pan Hellenic Council of Presidents, an organization that unites nine Greek fraternities and sororities. Media partners like “The Tom Joyner Morning Show” and American Urban Radio Network, will help to disseminate the message to over 30 million listeners across the country.
For summary of issues poll go to: www.bigvote.org/content2004/black_issues_poll.htm or email edmedia@dogonvillage.com
|
