In the spirit of the '60s 'Freedom Rides,' the NAACP's Youth and College Division organized Get Out the Vote activities that included a NAACP “Think Hard, Vote Hard” bus tour. The statewide tour throughout South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama made stops in almost 108 communities, reaching nearly 20,000 people. NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous joined the bus tour in Columbus, Georgia to rally the students and get them excited about their role in this historic election.
"Every vote counts," said NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous."Regardless of who wins the race, this election will be historical because of the unprecedented numbers of African Americans that turned out to vote," said NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous. "During this and every election, our goal is to mobilize and protect every last vote. The GOTV efforts of our branch and units, especially the youth division, have been extraordinary," he added.
College students, along with national and community leaders, went door-to door to provide accurate voter information, dispel rumors, to let people know what to expect at the polls. They also participated in "whistle stop" voter education rallies across the states. For many participants, the Vote Hard bus tour was their first experience in the political process.
"The idea is simply to encourage young people to not only Think Hard but to Vote Hard," said Stefanie Brown, National Director of the NAACP Youth & College Division.
Approximately 1,500 students from Morehouse College, Spelman College, Alabama State University, South Carolina State University, USC-Aiken, Allen University and other historically black colleges and universities joined the tour that took place over the last two weekends, stopping in towns and cities across South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.
Some participants blogged about their experiences, posted pictures and shared their observations on www.naacp.org as well as on their personal websites.
"It is just amazing to see how many young people were willing to get up so early and be so pumped up to get out there and educate voters," said Shamieka Johnson, President of the Allen University NAACP, who participated in the VOTE HARD South Carolina bus tour. "This is definitely one of the most inspiring things I have ever taken part in."
The NAACP Vote Hard bus tour began on Saturday, Oct. 25 in South Carolina, where teams of more than 225 young people, many members of NAACP college chapters or youth councils, traveled across the state to deliver Get Out the Vote, election protection, and issue-related messages. Congressman John Spratt, Reverend John Darden, bus tour musician John Fitzgerald McGill, branch and State Conference leadership, and other city officials participated in rallies throughout the day as the tour moved from York to Columbia to Goose Creek in South Carolina’s low country. The bus tour wrapped up on Saturday, November 1st with rallies in Atlanta, GA and Evergreen, AL.
The Vote Hard campaign, an initiative of the NAACP Youth & College Division and the NAACP National Voter Fund, seeks to empower voters that are within the youngest part of the electorate. NAACP youth units have conducted numerous voter registration initiatives, education forums, and mobilization efforts on college campuses and in their communities.
For more about the Vote Hard bus tour visit www.naacp.org/events/tour/index.htm.
Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.
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