As the nation inches closer to one of the most pivotal elections in recent history, the Sundial Group of Companies—encompassing ESSENCE, the Global Black Economic Forum, Girls United, AfroPunk, BeautyCon, Refinery29 and New Voices Foundation—has announced an ambitious schedule of virtual events for the next two months under its voter education town hall series, “Paint the Polls Black.” This initiative is designed to inform, mobilize and protect the voting rights of Black communities across the country in the crucial weeks leading up to Election Day on November 5.
“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 Global Black Economic Forum President & CEO Alphonso David.
Starting on September 12, “Paint the Polls Black” will host a series of virtual town halls, each designed to tackle specific issues that are of utmost importance to the community and to ensure that voters understand key policy issues, how they impact daily life and to ways to confront voter suppression tactics. The events will feature 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. These events will be live-streamed across multiple platforms, including Streamyard, the Global Black Economic Forum’s YouTube and social media accounts, and ESSENCE’s YouTube.
The inaugural Paint the Polls 2024 event on August 2 attracted more than 200,000 people and provided useful information to help voters navigate this election.
With issues like reproductive justice, gun violence, voter suppression, and the anti-diversity movement at the forefront, the stakes couldn’t be higher. The “Paint the Polls Black” initiative is tailored to ensure that Black voters are empowered to protect their rights and shape the future.
The importance of this initiative is further underscored by the success of its inaugural 2024 event on August 2, which attracted more than 200,000 participants. That event featured a lineup of influential figures, including renowned DJ D-Nice, Congresswomen Jasmine Crockett and Shontel Brown, political commentator Bakari Sellers, media personality Van Lathan, and NAACP-Award Nominated Content Creator Lynae Vanee. Together, they provided invaluable insights on issues ranging from healthcare access for Black women to the political attacks on Black women in the media, voter engagement strategies for Black men and community mobilization efforts.
With less than 70 days until election day, the “Paint the Polls Black” initiative will provide voters with essential resources and insights to navigate the often complex and daunting electoral process as it’s not just about getting people to vote; it’s about empowering them to make informed decisions.
Check out the full list of programming below.
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 we want to share our insights with you. 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 five people you know to 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 the 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 the benefits of voting early.
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 watcher.
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.
For more information on the initiative, please visit and www.gbef.com.
