#BlackYouthVote

[whenweallvote]

In the 2022 midterm elections, young people protected democracy — and young Black voters played a 𝘱𝘪𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘭 role.

[nbcahalloffame]

The National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc. has partnered with the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP) and HBCU Green Fund to launch the 2018 Black Youth Vote HBCU Campus & Community Vote Your Power 30-DAY GOTV COUNTDOWN Challenge (BYV! 30-DAY GOTV Challenge).The purpose of the BYV Challenge is for student and community-based youth leaders to utilize to help encourage students and community youth to pledge to vote in the upcoming November 6th Election and also volunteer to be poll monitors in their local communities. The challenge will be from October 6th to November 6th, follow @blackyouthvote for more information on this challenge! Swipe right 👉🏾 for more information on our involvement and the challenge. • • • #vote #blackyouthvote #voter #voting #halloffame #ncbcp #civicduty #voteyourpower #vote4justice #unity18 (at National Coalition-Black Civic) https://www.instagram.com/p/BoxBuRnDmBS/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=jk44dr1fal4d

[ant757x]

The 100BMOS president with Michael Baisden, Commissioner Jay Jones, and other members for the Real Men Vote Voter Registration @100BlackMenSav @100BlackMen @NCBCP @BlackYouthVote @NCBCP #realmenvote100 #blackyouthvote #communitystrong https://t.co/FgpCnfhuOf https://www.instagram.com/p/BoB_sR4HQta/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1upookc6i4pwb

[yourcoollogoonourcoolstuff-blog]

#naturalbeauty #afroyouth #blackyouthvote #blackyouth #blackpride #afro #afrolove #afrostyle #africangirl #africanamerican #webuyblack #webuyblackchallenge #buyblack #buyblack2017 #buyblackowned #positiveblackmen #positiveblackimages #positiveblackimagery #positivevibes #positiveblackmovement #positiveblackwomen #positiveblackmedia

[laprogressive]

Tweeted

RT ninaturner: RT @BlackYouthVote: LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER! Join us on Tuesday, November 30th & Wednesday, December 1st for the BYV: Black Men & Boys Virtual Hill Day and Advocacy Training! Register now at https://t.co/iXpepI835m. #BlackMenandBoysHillDay https://t.co/JR4wXcPYGm

— Sharon Kyle 🌹 (@SharonKyle00) Nov 30, 2021

[ag3nt2020]

#Repost @queenyonasda • • • Today myself and my brothers & sisters in the movement was arrested in Washington DC as we knocked on @speakerryan door. We were peaceful and in prayer and within minutes we were arrested!!! We stand for Black Immigrants ✊🏾 We stand with Immigrants, Dreamers that are denied to live in a country that was built on the blood of Indigenous people by illegal colonializers!! So today as a Black and Native Woman an Indigenous Original Woman I will get arrested again and again until MY people are able to live in a land that naturally belongs to them!! Free the people ✊🏾 Free the land ✊🏾 @coalitionbuilder #Forblackimmigrants together we will win! clean #dreamactnow #temporaryprotectedstatus @Undocublack @womensmarch @thenationalcoalition @nationalactionnetwork @ncbcp @ncbcp_bwr @blackyouthvote @lon.walls @1bellarose @tamikadmallory @mysonnenygeneral @pastorjamalibryant @revtlee POWER TO THE PEOPLE (at Anderson, Indiana)

[blackyouthvoteblog-blog]

Importance of Black Youth Voting

By Darrell Coles - Black Youth Vote Staff

It's important for the black youth to vote because past generations have fought and died insuring African Americans have the right to vote. The Civil Rights Movement paved the way for African Americans so we have to continue to exercise this right, for the countless lives lost won't go in vein. To this day Blacks are still fighting discriminatory voting practices that hinder their civil and human rights.     According to the United States Census data, over sixty-six percent of registered voters who were black went to the polls and voted in the 2012 presidential election. That's two percent higher than registered white voters, and almost six percent higher than U.S voters overall.  It's important for African Americans to vote because this is the only way our voices will be heard and issues will get addressed, together we can change policy and hold elected officials accountable.  If Black voters don't express our needs to elected officials by voting our interests, then more than likely they won't be addressed. Every vote counts, all elections matter, #blacklivesmatter. #BlackYouthVote - Our Politics! Is NOW!

    Black Youth Vote! is holding our 12th Annual Civic Leadership & Organizers Training Conference on November 5-7, 2015 in DC to organize to connect protest, policy and the power the youth vote will have in who gets elected the next president in the 2016 Election Cycle.   BYV seeks to educate young African-American adults on the connection between voting and public policy, and how it affects their lives today and their future opportunities. BYV is a national grassroots movement committed to increasing political and civic engagement among black youth and young adults between the ages of 18-35. BYV convenes, organize, and lead at both the national and local level in 2015 by anchoring its youth civic engagement, leadership development, mentoring, community & voter empowerment work. Join the BYV Movement @blackyouthvote. 

[ant757x]

If you have the time, we would love for you to join the 100 this Saturday as we register, inform, and encourage more local citizens to vote!!!! #realmenvote100 #blackyouthvote #thenationalcoalition @100blackmen @nbcp @blackyouthvote @100_black_men_of_savannah (at Cann Park, Savannah) https://www.instagram.com/p/BnrW4ExBbtg/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1i7nc0a55l510

[yourcoollogoonourcoolstuff-blog]

#naturalbeauty #afroyouth #blackyouthvote #blackyouth #blackpride #afro #afrolove #afrostyle #africangirl #africanamerican #webuyblack #webuyblackchallenge #buyblack #buyblack2017 #buyblackowned #positiveblackmen #positiveblackimages #positiveblackimagery #positivevibes #positiveblackmovement #positiveblackwomen #positiveblackmedia

[yourcoollogoonourcoolstuff-blog]

#naturalbeauty #afroyouth #blackyouthvote #blackyouth #blackpride #afro #afrolove #afrostyle #africangirl #africanamerican #webuyblack #webuyblackchallenge #buyblack #buyblack2017 #buyblackowned #positiveblackmen #positiveblackimages #positiveblackimagery #positivevibes #positiveblackmovement #positiveblackwomen #positiveblackmedia

[yourcoollogoonourcoolstuff-blog]

#africanamerican #africanamazing #africanfashion #africangirlskillingit #africanamericans #africanfashion #africanbraids #africandance #africans #africangirl #afro #afropunk #afroliciouswomen #afrolove #afrostyle #afrolatina #latina #braziliangirls #brazilianblowout #blackpower #blackresistancematters #blackresistance #blackresistence #blackpride #blackyouth #blackyouthvote #afroyouth #naturalbeauty #naturalhair #naturalhairdaily #naturalhairrocks #naturalhaircommunity #naturallycurly #naturalhairstyles #naturalhairjourney #naturalgirl #blackcurlyhair #nappyhair #nappyhairdontcare #braids #cornrows #cornrowstyles #hair #goodblackman #goodblackmen #goodblacknews #goodblackimages #positiveblackimages #positiveblackmen #positiveblackimagery #webuyblack

[ant757x]

Real Men Vote 2018 Civic Engagement Challenge Despite 3 funerals in the neighborhood going on today at the same time, and the neighborhood weather concerns, WE WERE ABLE TO REGISTER 8 PEOPLE TO VOTE!!!! Special thanks to the 100 MVP Mr. Charlton Bradford Jefferson, Mr. Mo (Morris Pollard), Commissioner Jay Jones, The Voice of 912 Ms. Weslyn Bowers, and Ms. Terri Thornton Davis for the last minute push!!!! @100blackmen @ncbcp @blackyouthvote @100blackmen @thenationalcoalition #RealMenVote100 #blackyouthvote #communitystrong (at Cann Park, Savannah) https://www.instagram.com/p/BnwidMKH5Ba/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=kii6hg3cifkb

[ant757x]

I'm excited to register some citizens to vote, check their voter registration status, and inform them about ride opportunities to the polls. Mr Morris Pollard and the 100 put this together in 2 days. If you would still like to volunteer, you are still needed SEE YOU TOMORROW CANN PARK #realmenvote #blackyouthvote #100BMOS @100bmoa https://www.instagram.com/p/BnuZn25nkHJ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=4ly1fevepd03

[blackyouthvoteblog-blog]

One Small Request: Sandra Bland, Mental Health and Black Women

By Camara Stokes Hudson - Black Youth Vote Staff

There are some things about the Sandra Bland case that are definitively true:

Sandra should have never been pulled over in the first place let alone violently thrown to the ground.

There is immense wrongdoing on the part of the Waller County police in both the initial stop and her subsequent detention.

The circumstances of her death are suspicious at best and without a doubt deserve a deeper probe by the U.S Justice Department and other federal agencies.

Please understand. I want all of us to keep searching for answers and to demand that all responsible are held accountable. We would do Sandra and her family an immense disservice if we did not. Also, as we work to piece together what happened to Sandra in her last moments, do not use Sandra's YouTube videos against her. Using videos of her appearing upbeat and happy and claiming that this is the definitive evidence that she that she was not depressed or suicidal is a problem. Saying things like "does this look like a depressed woman to you" is equally problematic. These are false claims that entrench that mental illness can be type cast and easily identified, that it can't be hidden. By promoting these images we promote the idea that to be depressed or to have experienced trauma is to appear sedated and weak - when, the honest fact is, that mental illness, especially for Black women, does not "look" any type of way.            

When it comes to depression, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness African-American and Caribbean women report more severe symptoms and longer duration of their symptoms than their White counterparts; and are disproportionately less likely to be receiving treatment for their illness or even to be taken seriously when they report their symptoms. Furthermore, many Black women go undiagnosed due to lack of access to medical care or fear of going to a mental health professional.            

In the study The National Survey of American Life: a study of racial, ethnic and cultural influences on mental disorders and mental health, Black women reported that shame, the fear of appearing weak and the fear that it might ruin their families or careers were some of the reasons that they chose not to inform others of their illness or seek robust treatment options.          

Existing as a Black woman necessitates appearing strong even when you are at your weakest and mental illness is something that is regularly treated as a personal deficit and not medical problem. This catch 22 of needing to be strong and upbeat even when you are weak has caused the erasure of Black women from the discussion on mental illness.       

This is not an attempt to corroborate the claims of the Waller County PD that Sandra committed suicide but rather an attempt to ask all of us to consider the evidence in a way that does not further harm an already stigmatized group of people. Sandra could have been depressed, she could have had PTSD like she thought and reported in her video blogs. This does not necessarily mean that she killed herself, but we ought believe her own thoughts on her experiences, it is all we have left of her. We do Sandra and all of the Black women who suffer from mental illness a great disservice by posthumously using Sandra's own words to create a sweeping generalization about what mental illness does and does not look like. Because, for many Black women, depression looks a lot like Sandra Bland - projecting unbelievable strength on the outside while suffering in silence on the inside.

[blackyouthvoteblog-blog]

Wisdom From the Black Lives Matter Conference

By Sherman Justice - Black Male Initiative Fellow

A few weeks ago I had an incredible opportunity to be at the Black Lives Matter conference in Ohio representing Black Youth Vote! Being a native of Ohio, it meant a lot to see thousands of Black people gathered in Cleveland, Ohio where Black activists and freedom fighters gathered to create a space were we could heal, empower, and strategize. With over twenty sessions happening simultaneously throughout the convening, it was apparent that our Black people of America are still dealing with a variety of issues. I myself attended several workshops, in order to network with people and gain as much knowledge as possible. Although all the workshops had so much to offer I found one that was captivating and unforgettable.    

 To clarify it was the CoIntel Pro workshop. CoIntel Pro is short for Counter Intelligence Program. CoIntel Pro a program that was initially developed in 1956 to disrupt activist within the Communist Party, but by the 1960's the program was used to target Black activist groups like the Black Panther Party. The workshop consisted of a five person panel- Marshall Conway, Ramona Africa, Pamela Hannah, Asanti Alston and Hank Jones- Whom were prisoners of war themselves, or victims of the CoIntel Pro's violent acts against the Movement. The Panel told horrific stories about how the CoIntel Pro caused families to be dismantled, people were sent to prison and how they were robbed of their liberties in the fight for equality. Of all the speakers, one story resonated with me a little more than others.     

Marshall Eddie Conway the brother I would never forget was sentenced to 44 years in prison, after being accused of killing a police officer.  Although Mr. Conway was locked up for what some people would consider a lifetime he still never gave up, and actually earned three college degrees and started a literacy program while incarcerated. In 2014, Mr. Conway was finally released on parole because during his trial, improper instructions were given to the jury.     

Upon his release, Mr. Conway wanted to escape his life and head to a beach, chill and enjoy his freedom. But something stopped him in his tracks, which made him feel compelled to keep fighting. He said it was because the conditions in which he left his hometown of Baltimore had not only experienced no progress for Black people, it was actually worse than when the movement started. As much as he wants to rest, he still continues to fight for the betterment of our people.     Mr. Conway's personal story encouraged me to keep fighting for justice. Even though I have not endured the pain the he endured, I empathize with his story. When I still see young people out here not exercising their right to vote, and elders like Mr. Conway and many before him endured so much and given so much of themselves, it pushes me to do more. I feel it is my duty, being a part of Black Youth Vote! to get millennials (18-35) involved in the political process so we can move from protest to policy. Just like Mr. Conway I will not rest and I will continue to fight until the end!