ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT what matters Exercise Your Power!
VOTE FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR FUTURE s the 2012 election nears, BET is encourag-
ing its millions of viewers to participate in the political process. BET Vote 2012 kicked off in Janu- ary and will last until November 6, Election Day. “It’s important as black media that our
communities are involved in civic engagement because it affects every aspect of our lives,” says Sonya Lockett, vice president of corporate social responsibility for BET. Young people in 2004 and 2008 have driven
an overall increase in voter participation, says Alexis McGill Johnson, executive director of the American Values Institute, a nonprofi t organization focused on the role bias plays in shaping policy and politics. “Young African Americans in particular have
led the increase among young people,” says McGill Johnson. “Our demographic is the key target, yet it’s the most taken for granted. But when they’re spoken to, they respond.” BET Vote 2012 is speaking to this important,
yet often neglected demographic through a multiplatform campaign that includes public service announcements on voter protection, news specials, profi les of the presidential candi- dates and convention highlights. The popular show 106 & Park will feature a special election map that highlights the voter registration dead- lines in each state and includes information such as what to bring to the polls. During its Black
College Tour this fall, BET will conduct voter registration drives on university campuses
and will partner with local community organiza- tions to hold voter forums. In addition, there will be comprehensive election coverage on
Bet.com as well as election updates on BET Vote’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. The goal, says Lockett, is to inform BET’s
audience of voter suppression tactics, such as the voter ID laws passed by many states, and to educate folks on how to counter these actions. “We want to make sure people are aware and
36 By Lottie L. Joiner
armed with what they need and make sure that their vote counts,” says Lockett. The campaign also wants to energize the BET
community — especially students — around issues that will affect them the most. The BET campaign is partnering with community organiza- tions such as the American Values Institute to help get the message out. McGill Johnson says it’s important to under-
stand the direct connection between our daily lives and politics in order to change our conditions. Barbara Arwine, executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (LCCR), agrees. Another BET partner, LCCR is a non-profi t organization that uses the resources of the legal fi eld to help minorities address concerns about racial justice and economic opportunity. “Every issue you care about in society has
some political component to it,” says Arwine. “[Vot- ing] is your best opportunity to elect a candidate who you believe will exercise their power on your behalf and on behalf of the interests you hold most dear. You are electing a person to represent you.” Marcia Johnson-Blanco, co-director of the
LCCR’s Voting Rights Project, says people need to understand that a lot is at stake in this election. “Their future is at stake,” says Johnson-Blan-
co. “We’re now in an economic crisis where politi- cians, from the president to the city council, are trying to decide how to spend the limited money we have. Without us voting and saying who we want to speak for us, we are basically jeopardizing the type of future we’re going to have.” Though we are months away from the elec-
tion, Arwine says we all need to be VIPs: Make sure we verify our registration, have the right identifi cation to take to the polls and know the precinct where we should vote. She notes that an estimated eight million African Americans are not registered, so we should all make it our mission to register people to vote. The LCCR will have a mobile app available this
summer that will allow people to register to vote, learn the identifi cation requirements in their state and fi nd their voting precinct. The mobile app will also have important dates such as when voter reg- istration closes in each state. But the LCCR encour- ages those with election questions to call their
hotline: 1-866-OurVote, which will be available all the way up to Election Day, and beyond. BET’s Lockett says the overall message is
about empowerment. If you “don’t play, then you get played,” she says. “It’s really about using your voice,” says Lock- ett. “You have the power, take it.”
Resources
Where to get the answers to your voting questions before Election Day
AMERICAN VALUES INSTITUTE A non-profi t organization that focuses on the role of bias in our society.
http://americansforamericanvalues.org/
LAWYERS’ COMMITTEE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS UNDER LAW A nonpartisan, nonprofi t organization whose mission is to secure equal justice under the law for African Americans, other racial and ethnic minorities and victims of discrimination.
http://www.lawyerscommittee.org/ 1-866-Our Vote
ADVANCEMENT PROJECT A policy, communications and legal action group that helps organized com- munities of color dismantle inequitable policies that undermine democracy.
http://www.advancementproject.org/
COLOR OF CHANGE An organization that uses the power of the Internet to make government more responsive to the concerns of African Americans and to bring about positive political and social change.
http://colorofchange.org/about/
NAACP
The nation’s largest and oldest civil rights organization with members that advocate for civil rights, conduct voter mobilization and monitor equal op- portunity in public and private sectors.
http://www.naacp.org/
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