Vote Or Else Connects Civics, Celebrities, And Community
Imagine opening your front door to see former Eagles Quarterback Michael Vick canvassing your neighborhood.
Imagine opening your front door to see former Eagles Quarterback Michael Vick canvassing your neighborhood. Or getting registered to vote on your porch by Beanie Sigel or Freeway. Or having Jabari Banks, the newest Fresh Prince of Bel Air, remind you of what day is election day.
Well, a lot of Philadelphians don’t have to imagine. The Vote Or Else nationwide campaign came to the City of Brotherly Love on October 10th. Along with celebrities such as Angie Martinez and Killer Mike, Blacc Sam, brother of Nipsey Hussle, and Naturi Naughton, Philly’s own Beanie Sigel, and Freeway took to the streets to engage community members.
The day’s events started with a Muslim community engagement forum, where Tone Barr, community liaison of the Philadelphia Masjid, called the Vote Or Else team to task. “Show me what you got,” said Barr to the gathering. “If we really care about our community, let’s not just do this in Philly. Let’s take it all around, because we are hurting as a community as a whole. So I am going to ask y’all brothers and y’all sisters, is this what you are really about? Let’s really get it in.”
The community engagement forum was followed by canvassing initiatives across the city, specifically in residential neighborhoods in North, West, and South Philadelphia. Ricky “NOMO” Duncan stressed the importance of “I am here today to get the message out of the importance of the vote in the Black community,” said Duncan. “Hopefully we can mobilize our people to get their voices heard during this upcoming election.”
The Vote Or Else Philly event culminated with a panel discussion at the Liacouras Center. Celebrities and community leaders sounded off on the state of the Black community and the importance of us being heard.
The entire event outlined what many of us already knew, that community matters. There is no one voice, celebrity, community leader, or otherwise that should speak louder than our collective voice. That is what was illuminated back at the Philadelphia Masjid in those moments right before all of the events ensued, that long after the cameras were gone and the actors, athletes, and artists who weren’t local continued to their next destination, that community would be left. That community deserves to be respected, empowered, and heard. “If you’re about that good work, come with us,” said Barr. “That’s what we are about. We are about the community.”
-
Whitney Roberts
Whitney Roberts is a Philadelphia writer, podcaster, and content creator featured by the NAACP, Wired, NBC, and more. She contributes to outlets like TheRoot and NPR, amplifying diverse voices and stories.
