Let's kick off 2022 with an informative presentation on how to create a successful postcard initiative scaled for smaller organizations. Guest speakers: Capital Equality members and voting rights activists Darwin Gamble and Barry Munroe, joined by Andy Janecek, chapter president.
Advance registration required at
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwsfu6sqD4rHtQpHUkpaAlmVyonGbnH29SL
The March On for Voting Rights Pensacola march and rally will be held Saturday, August 28 in conjunction with the national March On for Voting Rights in Washington DC. The march will begin at 11:30 a.m. outside the Escambia County Supervisor of Elections Office, located at 213 S. Palafox Place, and proceed to Seville Square for a rally. All participants are asked to wear a mask. Those who choose not to march can gather at Seville Square at 11:45 a.m.
This link is to a WUWF interview recorded earlier this week with Rev. Matthews about civil rights and our local March.
Speakers at the rally include civil rights icon Rev. H.K. Matthews, Escambia County Commissioner Lumon May, Vice President of the Okaloosa County NAACP Subu Williams, Movement for Change President Rodney Jones, publisher of La Costa Latina Grace Resendez McCaffery, Dream Defenders spokesperson Hale Morissette and Escambia County Democratic Party Chair Lil Eubanks. Voter registration and vote-by-mail applications will be available as well as Fines and Fees Assistance Application forms for qualifying citizens interested in restoring their right to vote. A COVID-19 Vaccination Station, provided by the Escambia County Health Department, will be at the Seville Square rally site for anyone interested in vaccinations.
March On for Voting Rights is a mass mobilization to demand that elected officials stop hijacking democracy, denounce voter suppression and ensure fair, easy access to the vote for all. On August 28, the 58th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic March on Washington, we will march on cities across America to demand that the vision of MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech be deferred no longer. We invite all Americans who believe in the power of democracy and free elections to join us. Marches will take place in states where voter suppression efforts are already imperiling our democracy: Atlanta, Georgia; Miami, Florida; Phoenix, Arizona; Houston, Texas; in Washington, D.C.; and across the country.
The Equality Act was reintroduced in the US House of Representatives this afternoon. The landmark bipartisan legislation would add sexual orientation and gender identity as protected categories in a number of civil rights laws, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fair Housing Act, and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, among others. Stephen Gaskill, president of the Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus, issued the following statement:
“LGBTQ Americans face discrimination everyday solely for who we are. The Equality Act is a simple but giant step that ends the patchwork system of equality measures our community faces across the country — and even across Florida. By amending key civil rights laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity, the Equality Act strengthens protections for everyone. The Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus thanks our Florida congressional delegation for their support and advocacy on behalf of equality for all Americans.”