#TalkRadio – September 24: I’ll Rise and Vote: Episode 2: Duval County, Florida Inactive List Battle; Voter Education with Gen Z; and, September 28th Cincinnati Voter Activations

SPEAKERS:

Leila Diallo: 12:00 PM – 12:15 PM ET
Transformative Justice Coalition-certified Voting Rights Advocate & Alumni, September 2024 Class; Undergraduate Student, Howard University, Economics Major, Expected Graduation Date: May 2027; Provided Poll Support and Assistance in November 2020 at the Academy of Liberal Arts at Newton High School

Karen Rumsey: 12:00 PM – 12:57 PM ET
Community Leader, Cincinnati 

Jaimyce McClinton: 12:00 PM – 12:57 PM ET
President, National Pan-Hellenic Council of Greater Cincinnati (Cincinnati NPHC); Cincinnati NPHC Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550816255865 

INTRODUCTION:

Hi Igniters For Change! The Igniting Change Radio Show on Tuesday, September 24th, 2024, from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Eastern Time, entitled “I’ll Rise and Vote Episode 2: Duval County, Florida Inactive List Battle; Voter Education with Gen Z; and, September 28th Cincinnati Voter Activations”, will be live with Radio Show Co-Hosts and Transformative Justice Coalition (TJC) Co-Leaders Attorneys Barbara Arnwine, Esq. and Daryl Jones, Esq. and will feature special guests Karen Rumsey, Leila Diallo, and Jaimyce McClinton. The show will begin with a discussion of some of the obstacles voters are facing in 2024. The last 40 minutes of the show will review the September 21st Jacksonville, FL “I’ll Rise And Vote” Voter Activations and GOTV Concert; discuss the September 15th, 2024 Jacksonville Today story regarding 15% of registered Duval County, Florida voters being “inactive”, a huge rise since state law changed https://jaxtoday.org/2024/09/15/15-of-registered-duval-voters-are-inactive-a-huge-rise-since-state-law-changed/; and, preview the upcoming September 28th Cincinnati, Ohio “I’ll Rise & Vote!” Voter Activations.

Check out and share this post about voter challenging made by Igniting Change guest, Leila Diallo, TJC-certified Voting Rights Advocate & Alumni of the September 2024 Class: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAHYwKRx5RZ/?igsh=MTNsNzk3b3puejJ3dA==  Using the resources from being trained at our September 2024 Gen Z and Millennial Votes Matter Leadership Training, specifically our showing of Greg Palast’s documentary “Vigilantes Inc.: America’s New Vote Suppression Hitmen” https://watch.showandtell.film/preview/vigilantesinc, Leila stated she felt called to make a post breaking down the practice and advising action steps to combat it.

As part of our I’ll Rise & Vote! Voter Activation and Concert Series we will be in Cincinnati, Ohio this Saturday, September 28th with 4 major cook outs & voter registration and engagement events from 11:00 AM until 7:30 PM. So happy to be working with our partners, the Divine 9, Kings & Queens, LWV, National Coalition for the Homeless and more! We will start off at 11:00 AM-1:00 PM with a festive cookout and voter registration drive at Bethany Homeless Family Shelter. Next we will votercade to Winton Terrace Kings and Queens Community Recreation Center and Winton Hills Community Church (these locations are very close to each other) where we will have 2 cookouts & voter registration drives from 2:00-4:00 PM; and lastly we will votercade to Shelterhouse Men’s Shelter for our last event from 5:30-7:30 PM!! There will be music, food, giveaways, voter registration, voter status check ups and voter restoration for formerly incarcerated!

We are Very excited about this multifaceted I’ll Rise & Vote day of activities!! Please spread the word!!

On Saturday, September 21, 2024, the Transformative Justice Coalition with its national, state, and local partners, including the A. Philip Randolph Institute, First Coast Leadership, League of Women Voters US, League of Women Voters Jacksonville, NAACP, Black Voters Matter, Rainbow/Push Coalition, NNPA, PFAW, and the Divine 9 held the first event of “I’LL RISE AND VOTE”:A Multi-state Concert Series and Engagement Initiative to Get Black, GenZ, and Millennials Out to Vote Ahead of the November Election!

During the Concert, TJC and its partners were hard at work. At the Park, TJC gave away our swag. The First Coast Leadership Institute registered at least 86 voters by walking the park and engaging the public. The League of Women Voters contacted over 187 voters through phone banking during the Concert regarding their voter status and several more people at the local shopping centers.

TJC and Partners held two local press conferences in front of the Supervisor of Elections’ office in protest of the lack of outreach to the public regarding the Inactive List. These events have resulted in 4 major developments:

1. The SOE has provided the Inactive List to all of our partners:
2. The SOE has agreed to meet with the local voting groups every other day through the voting season to outreach to those on the list;
3. The City Councillor who attended our first press conference is introducing an amendment to the budget for additional funding to address the emergency of the Inactive list; and,
4.  First Coast Leadership Institute is going to pay for robocalls to everyone on the Inactive List to inform them of their status and what they need to do to become active voters.

NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED WITHOUT TJC AND ITS PARTNERS FIGHTING FOR THE VOTE IN JACKSONVILLE!

Another positive was our press coverage in the local Black newspaper and our press coverage/broadcast at the Concert. These events definitely raised public awareness.  The quality of the programming was excellent. TJC Alumni Angel Edwards did a great job of assembling artists and First Coast did a good job of acquiring the choir. And the food trucks were great.

Join us throughout the country as we encourage all eligible voters to register to vote and check their voting status while enjoying good food, music, and games as we transform voting and the voting experience. The multi-state “I’ll Rise & Vote” Activation and Concert Series began on September 21st in Jacksonville, Florida, and will end on November 2nd in Cincinnati, Ohio. Each activation and concert series will feature massive public outreach, Votercades, Portable gaming stations, Free Banned Book Give-A-Ways, Cornhole games, and lawn games; Popular local and national musical groups; Food trucks; Voter registration; Voter empowerment information; Voter Restoration Booths for formerly incarcerated and returning citizen; Voter Information for Homeless and housing insecure voters; Trained “Freedom Fighters” (GenZ/M voting rights activists) on our nationally acclaimed TJC “John Lewis ‘Make Good Trouble’ Vote Bus.” This is a free event; all are welcome and invited to participate.

As of 2024, GenZ/Millennial (GenZ/M) voters, ages 18-35, make up the most significant and surging voting bloc in the United States. In the last few weeks, voter registration has reached a fever pitch. However, this voter enthusiasm will confront a daunting minefield of deliberate disenfranchising barriers at the ballot box. The GenZ/M voting bloc is also the most diverse, multicultural, multi-racial, and inclusive bloc of voters in our country’s history.

As a result, the GenZ/M voter is targeted by some state legislatures with malicious voter suppression laws calculated to make it more difficult for GenZ/YMs to vote. Additionally, the targeting of GenZ/M voters with the intentionally deceptive social media “no vote/don’t vote” campaigns is meant to discourage young voters, especially African Americans, from using their ballot power.

“This is the first time African Americans, GenZ, and Young Millennials are positioned to lead the way forward in the general voting process,” said Barbara Arnwine, Founder and President of the Transformative Justice Coalition. “Collectively, this key constituency can vote to preserve democracy. TJC,” Arnwine continued, “intends to do its part to ensure all eligible votes are cast and counted. In 2024, Young voters will not be deterred, confused, nor denied from voting.”

Starting at 12:40 PM, Igniting Change guests will give the media scorecard on the new weekly segment called “Election 2024 and Race Media Report Card” and their report cards on the media’s coverage of the lies that Haitian residents in Springfield, Ohio are eating peoples’ pets. Over the years, Igniting Change has pointed out the many failures and misadventures of the U.S. media’s coverage of racial issues. This journalistic incompetence reaches a new high during political contests, especially during presidential elections. From misguided headlines which thoughtlessly give credence to racial attacks, to the lack of fact checking, and the treatment of racial slurs, tropes, and stereotypes as fair commentary, this period has reeked of abysmal journalism. We will discuss some of these matters and what is necessary to be done to make the overall media more competent.

QUESTIONS:

12:00 PM – 12:15 PM Eastern Time
Leila Diallo, Karen Rumsey and Jaimyce McClinton 

• Leila, you were part of the September 2024 Gen Z and Young Millennial Votes Matter Leadership Training. What did your training mean to you? 
• What was the highlight for you during this Training?
• Leila, tell our audience about the Instagram Reel video you created about voter challengers.
• What is the most important thing people can learn from watching your video?
• How can people watch your video?
• Karen and Jaimyce, have you heard about this problem with voter challengers?
• Leila, Thank you for all of your hard work. How do our listeners get in contact with you?

12:15 PM – 12:40 PM Eastern Time
Karen Rumsey and Jaimyce McClinton 

• [September 20th – September 21st, TJC and all of our partners launched an aggressive voter contact program including a major concert in Jacksonville, Florida. Barbara and Daryl will briefly discuss the highlights of this programming.] 
• Karen and Jaimyce, the next stop in the “I’ll Rise And Vote” multi-state Voter Activations and Concert Series is in Cincinnati, Ohio. Why is this free non-partisan programming necessary?
• Karen and Jaimyce, Please describe for us what Saturday’s free programming will entail.
• Karen and Jaimyce, this activation is unlike any TJC has done in that we will be holding cookouts and voter engagement directly at two of Cincinnati’s largest homeless shelters. Why is it important to encourage voting rights activists to encourage homeless people that they have a right to vote?
• Karen, one of the major neighborhoods that we will be holding a free cookout and voter activation in is Winton Terrace. Why is it important to focus on this community? 
• Tell people about the free activities that will be happening at this event. There are two locations, correct?
• What is the voter registration deadline in Ohio? (October 7th)
• Why should people attend these free events and how do people get involved? (List addresses, etc)
• How do people get more information about this free event?

12:40 PM – SEGMENT TITLE: “Election 2024 and Race Media Report Card”

• For the past week, what grade would you give from A – F of the media’s coverage of the racial aspects of the 2024 election? 
• Why did you give this grade?
• Springfield, Ohio is just a little bit over an hour away from Cincinnati. How has the lies being spread by presidential candidate Donald Trump and his vice presidential pick J.D. Vance affected Ohio voters?
• How would you rate the media’s coverage of these lies?
• We have all heard that the people of Springfield feel like they are under attack and the children are afraid to go to school because of bomb threats. What can our audience do to support the people of Springfield?
• Where can people go for more information for Saturday’s events?
• What are your one-minute final thoughts to our listeners?
• Thank you for all of your hard work. How do our listeners get in contact with you?
• (Barbara will remind listeners to double check their voter registration as voter purging ended recently.)