‘Black Voters Matter’ stops in Knoxville
Black Voters Matter teamed up with Knoxville’s NAACP and several other groups to reach minority voters in East Tennessee.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Black Voters Matter made a stop in East Knoxville Tuesday on their tour across Tennessee.
The national organization worked with the Knoxville branch of NAACP and several other groups to reach minority voters in East Tennessee.
“States all across the south, in particular, there are targeted efforts, policies, we know are directed at the black community,” said Wanda Mosley of the Black Voters Matter Fund.
The bus, covered in historic civil rights images, makes stops in several cities across the country.
“We feel that we should let people know how the issues impact their everyday lives,” said Rev. Sam Brown, president of the NAACP Knoxville Branch.
The big concern for organizations locally is low voter turnout. Just over 4,000 people visited the polls for early voting in Knoxville’s primary election. That’s out of 100 thousand voters.
“Most of the time, people don’t even know they have a responsibility. People talk about their rights, what their rights are, but they don’t talk about their responsibility,” said Umoja Abdul Ahad, coordinator and co-founder of the Voter Turnout Coalition.
After an early morning press conference, volunteers canvassed in East Knoxville neighborhoods and at the University of Tennessee’s “Welcome Back” party.
The organizations focused on talking to voters about gun reform legislation being discussed in the state’s special legislative session.
Copyright 2023 WVLT. All rights reserved.
