BET AND THE NATIONAL PAN-HELLENIC COUNCIL JOIN FORCES TO MOBILIZE BLACK VOTERS FOR THE 2024 ELECTION

Leaders of the "Divine Nine" plus Nine additional emerging young leaders powerfully share their collective voices

NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2024  /PRNewswire/ -- BET and The National Pan-Hellenic Council, Inc. (NPHC) are proud to announce the launch of the new BET 'We VOTE' Public Service Announcements (PSA) featuring all nine Black fraternities and sororities. These PSAs leverage the influence of the NPHC, affectionately known as "The Divine Nine," to drive awareness, encourage voter participation, and reinforce the importance of every vote in shaping our future.

Esteemed leaders representing the The National Pan-Hellenic Council of Presidents include:

• Dr. Willis L. Lonzer III – General President, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
• Danette Anthony Reed – International President and CEO, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
• Jimmy McMikle – Grand Polemarch, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
• Ricky Lawrence Lewis - Grand Basileus, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
• Elsie Cooke-Holmes – International President, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
• Hon. Chris V. Rey, J.D. – International President, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
• Dr. Stacie N.C. Grant – International President, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
• Marica Harris – International Grand Basileus, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
• Dr. Sean D. Housen, Sr. – International Grand Polaris, Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.

"The Council of Presidents is committed to supporting this important initiative with BET," said Hon. Chris V. Rey, J.D., International President of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated and Chair of the NPHC Council of Presidents. "The vote is the most powerful tool in democracy, and we look forward to using our collective voices to help drive strong voter engagement and turnout."  

"BET is proud to highlight the Divine Nine and collaborate to ensure voters get the critical information they need about the election, including exercising our right to vote. We, like the Divine Nine, are committed to elevating the well-being of our community. Voting is one such mechanism in which to do so", said Kimberly Paige, CMO and Co-Lead of the BET Social Impact efforts.

BET created the 'We VOTE' effort to exclaim that we Vote for Ourselves, for Togetherness, for Everyone. It is this unifying theme that embodies BET's steadfast commitment to empowering all Black voters to harness their collective power to drive meaningful change.

The Divine 9 PSA is one of many being unveiled today. BET is proud to highlight nine emerging young leaders sharing their voices on the importance of voting. The nine leaders include the following (in alphabetical order):

• Demetris Causer - Voting Rights Attorney, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Inc.
• Marley Dias - #1000BlackGirlBooks Campaign
• Jared Evans - Voting Rights Lawyer, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Inc.
• Myles Hollingsworth - Student, Howard University and President, NAACP NY Youth & College Division
• Arnold Walter Ludd, Jr. - CEO & Founder, Jiggabite Gloves Up, Guns Down
• Christian Nathaniel Matthew - National President, National Action Network, Youth & College Division
• Chelsea Miller - Co-Founder, Freedom March NYC
• Jerome Richardson - Ambassador, Hip Hop Caucus
• L. Joy Williams - President, NAACP – Brooklyn, NY and Host, #SundayCivics Podcast

"We aim to raise awareness of the issues at stake through our efforts to educate the Black community and encourage voters to create and take action on their voting plan, whether it's early voting or on election day," said Tiyale Hayes, EVP of Insights and Co-Lead of the BET Social Impact efforts.

Produced for BET by The House of JOY (a Black and woman-owned firm), these latest creative spots are a testament to BET's ongoing efforts to elevate and educate the Black community, and ignite unprecedented civic engagement, voter registration, and turnout among Black voters in this critically important election.

To download the videos for your social media, please use the links below:

• Divine 9 Compilation PSA
  • :30 (16x9) - https://vimeo.com/1010706294
  • :30 (1x1) – https://vimeo.com/1010706202
  • :30 (9x16) - https://vimeo.com/1010705991

• Young Leaders Compilation PSA
  • :60 (16x9) - https://vimeo.com/1009715117
  • :60 (1x1) - https://vimeo.com/1009715739
  • :60 (9x16) - https://vimeo.com/1009715444

To learn more, go to BET.com/vote.

About BET

The BET Media Group, a unit of Paramount (NASDAQ: PARAA; PARA), is the world's largest media company dedicated to entertaining, engaging, and empowering the Black community and championing Black culture. Connecting Black audiences through a portfolio of brands including BET, BET+, BET Gospel, BET HER, BET International, BET Jams, BET Soul, BET Studios, and VH1, the BET Media Group is a thriving media ecosystem of leading interconnected platforms across cable TV, streaming, digital, studios, live events and international. For more information about BET, visit www.bet.com and follow @BET on social platforms. For more BET news announcements, follow us on social @BET_PR.

About The National Pan-Hellenic Council

The National Pan-Hellenic Council, Incorporated (NPHC) is currently composed of nine (9) International Greek letter Sororities and Fraternities: Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity. The purpose of the NPHC is to foster cooperative actions of its members in dealing with matters of mutual concern. For more information, visit www.nphchq.org.

SOURCE BET