What’s New, Good and NOW?

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Well, let me tell you about the Louisville Freedom Summer voter registration campaign!  This idea originated with Rev. Kevin Cosby, Senior Pastor of St. Stephen Church and the Jesse Louis Jackson Sr. Racial Justice Center. 

 It is fashioned after theMississippi Freedom Summer from 1964.  According to Wikipedia, that year “more than 700 student activists took segregated Mississippi by storm to resist the systematic exclusion of African Americans from the political process. Bob Mosesof the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committeedeveloped a campaign to bring a thousand volunteers to canvass for voter registration, creating freedom schools and establishing the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.” 

This year is the 60th anniversary of this amazingly brave effort that contributed to achieving the Voting Rights Act of 1965. I particularly appreciate the idea that African American and white people can work together to achieve a great things for our community, then and now.

Good...

Metro Councilman and Simmons College Professor, Jecorey Arthur was the creative imagination and leader behind Louisville Freedom Summer.  He moderated a series of ten political education classes, gathering special guest speakers from organizing, government and nonprofits including KFTC.   Freedom School classes took place on Tuesday evenings at 10 community centers around the city. It was a wonderful experience to work with Jecorey and his crew week after week to deliver a high quality program to the community.

NOW!!!

Like the organizers in Mississippi, the Louisville program gathers volunteers to register voters.  More than 70 volunteers have signed up to show up at colleges, canvasses and phone banks. It takes a lot of time and energy to create the events to keep these volunteers engaged!  I am forever grateful to Nyeila Jones and her staff for their support at registration tables and at the canvassing events that are soon to be scheduled. If you would like to be added to the list of volunteers, please contact us at [email protected] 

My participation has been to network at Freedom School to connect with organizations and individuals that are determined to make a difference in this election. I register voters and I help others find their pathway to contribute.  I am also grateful for the support I received from my church, All Peoples Congregation, in promoting and publicizing our work together.

As Jecorey would say….

PEACE,

Roxanne Sturtevant

KFTC Member