The Brown & Black Forum to host a virtual voter education town hall meeting on Monday October 19 from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Make it Count will be on Facebook Live here.
The Brown & Black Forum is the oldest minority-focused Presidential Forum in the nation. It was founded in 1984 with three objectives in mind: to focus media attention on issues that are affecting African American, Hispanic, Asian American and other communities of color in Iowa and all across the nation; to help communities of color better understand the voting process and to educate about issues and problems that affect these communities; to mobilize and encourage communities of color to participate in the political process both in Iowa and across the nation.
The Brown & Black Forum was founded by Mary Campos and Wayne Ford.
“I truly believe that if me and Mary had not gotten together in 1984 no one would even be talking about minority issues,” Mr. Ford explained the importance of the Brown & Black Forum.
Mary Campos explained that before every time there were political debates the minority communities were not invited to the table and she shared her thoughts with Mr. Ford. Together they came up with the idea of the Forum that focuses on communities of color.
“We wanna make sure that black and brown kids get the same opportunities like anyone else,” Mr. Ford said. “What I hope young people will get from this presidential forum is that they can see two individuals who have gray hair still making a difference.”
Mary Campos with journalist Jorge Ramos at the reception after the Brown & Black Forum in Des Moines, IA in 2016.
Photo by Tar Macias / Hola Iowa
“We want justice for all, and we want to be treated equally,” Mary Campos added. “And at the end of my life journey I hope that I can say that I’ve turned around more than one life.”
Today the Brown & Black Forum identifies five main issues they care the most about. They are criminal justice, immigration, education, economic development, and health.
On Monday, October 19 from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm the Brown & Black Forum will hold a virtual town hall meeting. During the Make it Count event participants will be advised on how to be better prepared for the 2020 presidential election. There will be a roundtable with students from Drake University, community leaders, and elected officials will talk about issues that matter the most in the 2020 election.
During this Town Hall meeting such key points as felon voting rights, voter registration, mail-in voting, same-day voting will be discussed as well. During this educational forum, participants will also learn more about voting in a safe way and with confidence.
The Make it Count event will be filmed by and streamed live on Facebook here. The moderators for the Virtual Town Hall will be Dwana Bradley and Jessica G Trinidad
If you are interested to learn more about the Brown & Black Forum please visit their website at www.brownandblackforum.org. This event is a virtual education event and it is nonpartisan.
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