"PAINT THE POLLS" INITIATIVE ANNOUNCES ROBUST SCHEDULE OF VIRTUAL EVENTS LEADING UP TO U.S. ELECTION DAY ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5

Paint the Polls by Educating, Registering, Mobilizing, and Protecting Voters

NEW YORK, Aug. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Sundial Group of Companies —  which includes ESSENCE, the Global Black Economic Forum, Girls United, AfroPunk, BeautyCon, Refinery29, and New Voices Foundation — announced a robust schedule of virtual events for the next two months leading up to Election Day under its voter education town hall series titled "Paint the Polls Black."  Now that the conventions have concluded, the collective work to educate, register, mobilize and protect the community's freedom to vote takes center stage. The Paint the Polls initiative will host a series of virtual town halls on issues that range from helping voters understand how the key policy issues impact their daily lives to ensuring that voters are prepared to confront any potential challenges when casting a vote. The inaugural Paint the Polls 2024 event attracted more than 200,000 people and provided useful information to help voters navigate this election. 

"We believe that our brands hold a responsibility to educate our audiences thoroughly because wielding our power at the ballot box is among our most precious rights. We do not make assumptions about people's level of awareness on local, regional, and national issues; we meet people where they are," said Alphonso David, President & CEO of the Global Black Economic Forum. "Despite the barriers voters may face during the 2024 election cycle, we are committed to providing tools that empower our audience to make informed decisions that reflect their personal goals and values."

Paint the Polls events will bring voting and election experts, public officials, and artists to discuss the issues that directly impact our communities and provide voters with the resources they need. Events begin at 8pm ET and are live streamed across multiple platforms including Streamyard, the Global Black Economic Forum's YouTube and social media accounts and ESSENCE's YouTube and website at www.essence.com.

Scheduled Paint the Polls Town Halls

• September 12 — Dissecting the Policy Issues that Directly Affect You. Did you watch the conventions? Have you digested all the policy issues? Well, we did and want to share with you our insights. Join us with a group of experts to break down how the policy issues in this election will directly affect you — from the economy to housing; from health care to public safety.
  
  
• September 16 — Youth Empowerment Town Hall. Young people are not only our future but they impact elections. Young voters from the millennial generation and Gen Z are emerging as the demographic center of power in American politics. Join us for a town hall to hear from young people about the key issues they care most about, the solutions for addressing those issues and how this election and voting impacts the future.
  
  
• September 30 — Battleground States. We often hear that elections will be decided by the battleground states, often 4 to 5 states. We are going to those battleground states to hear from our community about how we mobilize to protect the rights of marginalized people.
  
  
• October 7 — The Group Chat. Registering to vote is obviously important, but what if you also pledged to convince at least 5 people you know to also do the same? Now that is extending our community to seize back our power. Join us in a campaign to encourage every person you know to register to vote. And for the kicker, there may be a surprise gift in it for you.
  
  
• October 14 — Early Voting. Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands offer early in-person voting for all voters. We will host a town hall on what you need to know about early voting and its benefits.
  
  
• October 21 — Election Protection. If you show up at the polls and are told you are not registered or confront other obstacles in voting, what can you do? This town hall walks you through how to report irregularities, how to find all of the resources to help you protect your right to vote and how to become a poll worker.
  
  
• November 4—Get Out the Vote. On the eve of Election Day, we will host multiple virtual events to provide information and resources to voters and hear from them about their plans to vote.

This robust schedule builds on the inaugural Paint the Polls virtual event that attracted more than 200,000 people and provided information, addressed misinformation and informed the public about registering for one of the most consequential elections in our lifetimes.  Participants included world-renowned DJ D-Nice who started the event with a special pre-show DJ set; award-winning White House Correspondent and event co-moderator Ebony McMorris who spoke to the importance of access to affordable healthcare for Black women and families; Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and Congresswoman Shontel Brown who paid tribute to the legacy of the U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee and addressed the political attacks on Black women in the media and the issues that will be on the ballot for Black women in the upcoming election, including the anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) movement and reproductive justice ; Author and Political Commentator Bakari Sellers who emphasized why Black men should reach out to other Black men across their network to ensure they're engaged in the upcoming election; Award-winning media Personality Van Lathan who provided background information on voter turnout in his hometown, Baton Rouge, and how leaders in the area can engage the community to increase civic engagement on a local, regional, and national level; and NAACP-Award Nominated Content Creator Lynae Vanee shared tools for Black voters who are interested in mobilizing other voters online and offline, including community volunteer opportunities, to protect the voting process. 

The stakes are high, and Paint the Polls is tailored to ensure that the public has the information, resources, and support to exercise their right to vote and protect our future.

For more information on the initiative, please visit https://www.essence.com/paintthepollsblack/.  For more information about the Global Black Economic Forum, please visit www.gbef.com.

For media inquiries, please contact [email protected] and [email protected] 

SOURCE Essence Ventures