Oprah And The NAACP Urge Black Americans To ‘OWN Your Vote’

Media mogal Oprah Winfrey and the NAACP hosted a virtual meeting Thursday evening to mobilize African American voters especially Black women.

“Voting is the best way I know to bring about change in our community, in our country,” Oprah said. “”This is an election unlike any we have experienced in our life.”

Oprah is utilizing her powerful voice and network to promote “OWN Your Vote” which she explained was created to support Black women who have been “historically instrumental in our democracy.”

For weeks now Black Americans have been urged by President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama, civil rights activists, and others to create a plan for voting that includes checking registration by visiting www.vote.org and preparing for the day using www.iwillvote.com. Organizers expect record turnout and point to years of working to increase the number of registered Black voters.

“We were set for a time like this,” asserted NAACP President Derrick Johnson.

As evidence of strategies to disenfranchise some voters dominate headlines — most notably attempts by the United States Postal Service to restructure and remove mail sorting machines during a pandemic when many Americans plan to vote by mail, Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley spoke of Black Americans’ “conviction” to the democratic procress. 

She added, “We have been the most reliable voting constitutency for the Democratic Party.”

But, Attorney Judith Browne Dianis, an expert in voting rights, talked about the unusual circumstances of this year’s election.

“They want us to choose between our health and our right to vote,” Dianis stated.

According to Dianis, attorneys have been recruited to work on Election Day and answer questions regarding voting rights. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority reportedly will add 1,000 lawyers to the pool of legal experts. Other Black women’s organizations including Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Links, Incorporated, the National Council of Negro Women, Black Women’s Roundtable, Sigma Gamma Rho, and Zeta Phi Beta also are involved in the voter mobilization initiative. But again, the message Dianis, Oprah, and the other panelists hope African Americans hear is to plan ahead for Election Day.

“We have to understand this is a fight because people don’t want to give us power…they understand how much power we have when we step into that voting booth,” Dianis said.

“Voter supression has existed in our country since the beginning of time…the laws and the tactis that make it harder to vote.”

The pandemic poses a threat to Black voters, and there is growing concern about intimidation from white supremacists groups.

“Don’t go alone,” said the NAACP’s Tiffany Loftin. “Bring community with you, your friends with you, your family.”

With 25,000 participants attending the webinar, Oprah applauded the collaborative tone, calling to mind the words of the recently-deceased Civil Rights icon and congressman John Lewis who said to get in “good trouble” by working for the greater good.

Polls continue to show Americans view the upcoming election as one of the most consequential in generations, and Oprah appeared to agree.

“If we don’t act now, there may not be a chance for years to come…to own that vote,” she said.