by Sharelle Burt
August 15, 2024
Through the Vote HBCU Program, 3,000 students have been registered on campuses as it aims to grow leadership.
According to a press release shared with Black Enterprise, HeadCount, the country’s leading nonpartisan youth voter registration initiative, and Xceleader, an HBCU alum organization, are collaborating to register thousands of students to vote through the Vote HBCU Program.
The program’s reach has reached new heights, aiming to teach the next generation of Black leaders. The 2024 program will host the “Say It Louder” tour, a series of block party events on the campuses of 40 historically Black colleges and universities to educate, mobilize, and get student hype about voting in November; the tour will consist of panel discussions on the core issues students are facing.
A significant part of the campaign includes a new fellowship program that will provide student organizers with a stipend to participate in a two-day training seminar to prepare for the Vote HBCU roles on their assigned campus. The program is designed to encourage student organizers to work within leadership and advocacy workshops that will also provide access to mentorship opportunities.
HeadCount’s Executive Director Lucille Wenegieme says programs like this are created at a vital time, as young voices need to be heard, and our democracy is under attack. “We are at a pivotal moment where the voices of young voters, especially from historically underrepresented communities, can shape the future of our democracy,” she said.
“The Vote HBCU program is about voter registration and so much more. It’s about empowering students to become advocates for their communities and to understand the power they hold. By expanding outreach and resources, we aim to inspire and mobilize the next generation of leaders.”
Since the program’s pilot launch in 2020, 3,000 voters have been registered through Vote HBCU, and we hope to register thousands more with the program expanding. Xceleader’s co-founder Tevon Blair described what it means to be an HBCU student: to be civically engaged. “HBCU students and alumni have always played a powerful role in historic movements that have moved our nation forward,” Blair said.
“We believe that to be an HBCU student means to be a civically engaged student, and Vote HBCU will ensure HBCU students across the country are educated, mobilized, and empowered to make informed decisions that will have an impact on their communities.”
With 40 HBCUs, both groups will need some help with student engagement. According to Queen City News, Divine Nine fraternity and sorority chapters of HBCUs are also mobilizing to heighten voter registration. The president of the Rock Hill chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, Tiffany Hefney, says this is an ongoing effort regardless of how important the 2024 election is. “As we know, that voter registration is a critical first step in our democratic process,” Hefney said.
“That wasn’t a response to our current events. That was more of saying, ‘Just do what you’ve been doing for the past years.’ And that’s again: engage in our communities, making sure that whether you’re in the Democratic Party or the Republican Party, our communities have the information.”
The “Say It Louder” tour will launch on Aug. 16 at Virginia State University and end on Sept. 17 at Fort Valley State University.
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