People For the American Way Launches “They Can’t Stop Us” Radio Ads in Maryland, North Carolina and Wisconsin as Part of Defend the Black Vote campaign
“... the proven power of Black men standing up to vote creates waves of change for years to come.”
Washington D.C. – Today, People For the American Way began airing a series of radio ads in Maryland, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, as part of its 15-state "Defend the Black Vote" campaign uniquely focused on mobilizing one million Black male voters between 18-60 before Election Day, through radio, text messaging, and social media.
The ad, titled "They Can’t Stop Us,” is part of the broader effort to improve democracy by bringing about more representative elections with greater participation of Black male voters so that elected officials and their policies truly reflect the will of their constituencies.
Target states for the campaign include states with a high percentage of Black voters or states where there has been a history of voter suppression and intimidation and where Black voters have been persistently given misinformation about changes to voter ID laws, mail-in voting, early voting, and Election Day voting.
SPECIFIC MARKETS INCLUDE:
- Baltimore, MD
- Charlotte, NC
- Florence-Myrtle Beach Lauringburg, NC
- Greensboro-High Point, NC
- Milwaukee, WI
- Norfolk, VA (reaches into NC)
- Raleigh-Durham, NC
- Wilmington, NC
“Our community needs Black men to vote in this election,” said Svante Myrick, executive director of People For the American Way. “Voter suppression and misinformation have made it difficult for Black men to vote. So, we’re fighting back with Defend the Black Vote. With these radio ads, we want Black men to know our votes matter and our voices matter, and no one can take that away.”
“The Far Right recognized that silencing Black voters means that they maintain power, so they’ve gone through extraordinary lengths to intimidate and suppress voting rights and the Black vote,” said Ben Jealous, president of People For the American Way. “Black men, our families and our communities bear the burden of those voter suppression tactics. Through our Defend the Black Vote campaign, we’re reminding Black men that the antidote to massive voter suppression is massive voter registration and mobilization and we can make a difference on the issues that matter like abortion, job security and healthcare, in 2022 and for decades to come.”
:60 seconds
Injustice toward Black men has been described as the greatest stain on America’s history.
And through the many years, Black men have used the power of our vote to overcome this injustice.
Yet even today, anti-democratic forces are at work engaging in scams and tricks to take away our right to vote or intimidate us from showing up.
But They. Can’t. Stop us.
Black men: we have to show up.
Vote by mail; vote in-person; it doesn’t matter how you do it–it just matters that we vote by November 8th.
If we don’t vote, the centuries of work we've done to right the wrongs of injustice….it just doesn't matter.
But the proven power of Black men standing up to vote creates waves of change for years to come.
Because exercising our vote is not just our right–it’s our responsibility–and only by voting by November 8th can we use our power to stand up for our families and our community during this turbulent time.
While this ad has been paid for by the People for the American Way, the price of not voting will be paid by us all.
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About People For the American Way
People For the American Way is a progressive advocacy organization founded to fight right-wing extremism and build a democratic society that implements the ideals of freedom, equality, opportunity and justice for all. We encourage civic participation, defend fundamental rights, and fight to dismantle systemic barriers to equitable opportunity. Learn more: https://www.pfaw.org