PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) —A giant Black Voters Matter bus rolled into North Philadelphia Saturday as part of a We Won’t Black Down national bus tour. It was the centerpiece of a community health fair block party that shut down a portion of North Broad Street.
The bus is part of a strategic effort to reach out to minority voters across the country ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Kallel Edwards, Pennsylvania state organizing manager of Black Voters Matter, is criss-crossing the state to talk about the power of the vote.
Edwards said addressing public health issues are central to getting people out to the polls.
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“It's hard to have conversations with folks about hope, voting, and why we should vote when they're dealing with this much trauma and disparity inside neighborhoods,” said Edwards.
He gave a long list of important issues he believes people of color need to consider, including abortion rights, gun violence, health care and education, because of the everyday impact of those issues.
But for Edwards, one issue stands out.
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“Voter rights for me,” said Edwards. “They come up with laws every day to keep us out of voting polls and make it hard for us to vote, and that's because we're actually making a difference.”
Edwards also believes that voter turnout tends to correlate with access to community services.
“Their elected officials actually know that their constituents can hold them accountable,” said Edwards.
Elyahmen Buford, Jr. with the organization’s national logistics team, said the goal isn’t just to get people to the polls, but to inspire them.
“I watched kids come up to us and tell us that they were afraid to discuss the issues that were happening in their communities, because they felt like no one was listening and they felt like those who are listening are not going to help,” said Buford.
“We are here to literally reassure them that there are people out there, and here's how you get connected to them.”
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Buford added that people also need to know for whom, and for what they are voting.
“We are beyond just doing voting,” said Buford. “We focus on voter suppression, getting people out to the polls, mainly educating them on their local politics.”
Edwards was frank when asked what is at stake in the November midterm elections.
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“Everything,” he said. “With so many rights being snatched from so many different states, the whole country has eyes on Pennsylvania, [with it] being a swing state.”
The voter registration deadline for the November election is Oct. 24.
Activists are also encouraging people that are already registered to make sure their registration is accurate, check their polling place and make a plan ahead of time to vote.