Haitian Americans join D.C. march vs. racism
Supporting the international surge for social justice and evoking the spirit of the American Civil Rights Movement, members of the Haitian American Alliance of New York are taking part in a major march in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 28.
HAA executives, members, friends and supporters are among the many members of organizations and individuals traveling to the nation’s capitol for the “Commitment: Get Your Knee Off Our Necks” March, organized by the National Action Network and the Rev. Martin Luther King III, son of the late civil rights leader.
The marchers are scheduled to gather in Washington at 7 a.m. Premarch actives include the promotion of voter registration and and participation in the 2020 Census. The twohour-long march is due to begin at 1 p.m.
“We are humbled as immigrants and children of immigrants to march on Washington in celebration of MLK’s famous “I Have a Dream” march,” said a HAA representative. “As beneficiaries of the Civil Rights Movement, we, along with our parents and grandparents can dream the American dream. We support the BLM movement and condone racial disparities.”
Education, health and “building alliances” are the focus of the 24year-old non-profit HAA, whose mission is to “empower Haitian Americans through increased participation in all areas.
For information on the Haitian American Alliance of New York’s march involvement, call (800) 8652950. Visit the National Action Network at nationalactionnetwork.net. and select the “Commitment March” link to RSVP, get a discounted D.D. hotel room, join a march-bound bus, become a march volunteer or corporate sponsor. Reach NAN by phone at (212) 690-3070.
2020 Census — Get involved!
Take part in the 2020 Census, because there’s far too much at stake!
Who will represent you in Congress? Will there be enough money to fund schools and pay teachers, finance for Medicaid and Medicare Part B, provide state children’s health insurance, pay for subway, buses and highway construction are among the many important questions are answered with U.S. Census results every 10 years.
Step #1 of the 2020 Census outreach — official “Census Push Week” — ended yesterday. That initiative urged persons to responded online using the materials “mailed to you or left at your door.”
To ensure maximum participation and get an accurate count of persons residing in the U.S., all the information that you provide will remain confidential.
The 2020 Census outreach now moves into neighborhoods, in an effort to get the entire population counted. Starting Aug. 11, census workers will go to homes that have not responded to the initial outreach initiatives.
To complete the census, visit 2020census.gov or call (844) 3302020 to complete the census over the phone.
Prepping for ‘Big Vote’
BET and collection of respected organizations are recognizing the big countdown to the Nov. 4 presidential election — by announcing Sept. 18 as National Black Voter Day, to encourage participation on the big vote in the fall.
The “first-ever National Black Voter Day” is part of BET’s #ReclaimYourVote initiative, done in partnership with National Urban League, the National Action Network, NAACP, When We All Vote, Black Voters Matter, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, The Collective PAC, Lawyers’ Committee For Civil Rights Under Law, Election Protection, The Leadership Conference On Civil And Human Rights and The Black Economic Alliance and other organizations.
The Sept. 18 National Black Voter Day date “coincides with the country’s first early voting day, in South Dakota and Minnesota – the latter being ground zero of the fight for racial justice since the killing of George Floyd.”
“It is critical for BET to utilize all of our resources and partnerships to drive Black civic engagement across the country, and the National Black Voter Day is a key part of this effort,” said BET President Scott Mills. “We will use the momentum of the fight against systemic racism to galvanize those marching in protest to march to the polls in November.”
“The pandemic and racial justice protests have shone a bright light on the stark racial disparities that exist in health care, the economy and our criminal justice system,” said National Urban League President Marc Morial said. “If we are to repair these gaps, we must commit ourselves to making sure every Black American has the tools they need to register and cast an informed vote, whether by mail or in-person, early or on Election Day.”