Page 10 - Florida Sentinel 9-25-20

Feature
‘When We All Vote’ Partners With ‘Pink Bison’ For Historic #SQUADUP Homecoming Event
HBCU Week Voter Registration Celebration
WASHINGTON, DC – As part of National Historically Black Colleges and Universi- ties (HBCU) Week and in conjunction with Michelle Obama’s “When We All Vote,” #SquadUP Homecom- ing, a Voter Registration event, will air live on Sat- urday, September 26, at 8 p. m. EST.
This first of its kind virtual homecoming event is pro- duced in partnership with Pink Bison, a collective of Howard University alumni, who were initiated into Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Alpha Chapter, on the cam-
pus of Howard University, in 1986.
The interactive show will include classic HBCU home- coming events such as musi- cal performances, step teams, celebrity shoutouts/cameos, “Divine 9” representation, marching bands and all of the fashion and passion that make the HBCU homecoming experience so unique in the African-American commu- nity.
The family-friendly event will be hosted by Billy Sor- rells and will include voter registration pre-recorded video segments from celebri- ties including 2Chainz, who will share empowering infor- mation about how returning citizens can check if they are
BILLY SORRELLS ...Will Host the event
eligible and register to vote. The goal of #SquadUP Homecoming is to provide voting tips to encourage and inspire young adults nation- wide to register to vote before
registration deadlines end in early October.
According to Pew Re- search Center, the voter turnout for ages 18 – 24 was only 39.4% in the 2016 presi- dential election. The 18 - 24 age group historically has the lowest voter turnout among all age groups. During the #SQUADUP event, viewers will be able to register on http://www.whenweallvote.o rg, to learn more about how they can cast their vote in the upcoming presidential elec- tion.
#SquadUP Homecoming premieres during National HBCU Week, September 20 – 26, 2020. Started during the Carter Administration 40 years ago, this annual week celebrates the contributions of these institutions to the U. S. The HBCU Week focus in- spired “Pink Bison” to launch this historic initiative on Sep- tember 26th. “It was impor- tant to have a voter registration event during this particular week, which is con- sistent with the service mis- sion of HBCUs,” says Monique L. Poydras, co- founder, Five Moms for Re- form and part of the Pink Bison. “Due to COVID-19, homecomings have been can-
celled. Creating a virtual reg- istration event with HBCU homecoming flair helps us capture some of that ‘magic’ and increase young adult vot- ers at the same time.”
The free event will stream online at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT from multiple platforms and from the website at www.squaduphomecoming.c om. More information about the event can be found on In- stagram, Facebook, and YouTube at the @squaduphomecoming han- dle.
About When We All Vote
When We All Vote is a na- tional, nonpartisan, non- profit launched by Co-Chair Michelle Obama in 2018 on a mission to change the culture around voting by bringing together citizens, in- stitutions, brands, and organ- izations to increase participation in every elec- tion. They are also on a mis- sion to close the race and age voting gap and empower all eligible voters to cast their ballot by harnessing grass- roots energy, establishing strategic partnerships, and implementing digital organiz- ing strategies.
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