By: Marc Morial
President and CEO
National Urban League
The historic 2008 presidential election is only five months away and with an African American or a woman guaranteed to be on the ballot, voter excitement and participation in some quarters is at an all-time high. But, with so much at stake, and with the Black vote so crucial this year, apathy anywhere is unacceptable. We must increase Black voter participation.
In 2004, only 64 percent of eligible African Americans were registered to vote and only 56 percent of us actually did vote. In fact, in Georgia alone, there are a half million unregistered African Americans. As I have said in the past, and I continue to say, the lack of civic participation is a weapon of mass destruction. When we do not vote and do not participate in the civic life of our community, we inflict life-threatening wounds upon ourselves.
But I am pleased to report that if you are one of the millions of unregistered African Americans, there is no shortage of places to turn to for help. Both the Republican and Democratic National Committees have active voter registration efforts and the presidential candidates are also engaged in signing up new voters. One organization however, that stands out as a champion for African-American civic engagement is the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP).
Since 1976, NCBP has been working to expand, strengthen and empower our communities by making voting and civic participation a cultural responsibility and a Black tradition. With the help of its 80 member organizations, including the National Urban League, NCBCP is leading the fight to both bring more African Americans into the political process and to eliminate remaining barriers to black political participation.
In light of the voting mishaps that happened in Florida in 2000, Ohio in 2004 and Sarasota, Florida in 2006, NCBP has launched "Unity '08 Get-Out-and-Protect
Enviroshop is maintained by dedicated NetSys Interactive Inc. owners & employees who generously contribute their time to maintenance & editing, web design, custom programming, & website hosting for Enviroshop.