Equal Ground Equal Vote
New leadership and new effort to register, educate and turn out black voters
across Central Florida for 2020 Election.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Date July 10, 2020 CONTACT: info@equalgroundeducation.com
Eatonville, FL – Equal Ground Education Fund (c3) and Equal Ground Action Fund (c4) announce new leadership and launch of new voter registration, education and turnout effort in black communities across Central Florida. Under the leadership of its founder and now Consulting Director, Jasmine Burney-Clark, Equal Ground will expand its outreach and engagement efforts. Jasmine joins Managing Director, Kristin Fulwylie Thomas, and an impressive team of regional and community organizers. This expansion comes as we have seen both Covid-19 and violence against black bodies bringing the issues of Black Americans to the forefront of state, local, and federal political priorities.
Jasmine has worked in Florida politics for over a decade. Prior to joining Equal Ground, she was a Senior Advisor to the NAACP (National) and Executive Director of the Florida 501c3 Civic Engagement Table. Some of her prior roles and clients include the Alex Sink for Governor, Geraldine Thompson for Senate, Tom Steyer's NextGen America, Democracy at Stake - Florida's Supreme Court Judicial Retention initiative and Faith in Florida.
“We are very excited to welcome Jasmine Burney-Clark back home to the Equal Ground Education Fund, an organization that was borne from her vision that an empowered community is an engaged community, said Glenton Gilzean Jr., Chairman of the Equal Ground Education Fund Board of Directors. “Through a diverse set of engagement strategies that includes both online and in-person conversations, leadership training and a faith outreach program, we are making a significant impact on empowering Black communities across Central Florida.”
“With the General Election in Florida just four months away, residents are grappling with the safety measures needed to re-enter their communities due to the effects of Covid-19 and police brutality. It’s important to engage our communities now to empower for their future,” says Jasmine Burney-Clark.”Through the efforts at Equal Ground Education and Equal Ground Action Fund, we will work to expand our voter turnout capacity.”
Equal Ground Equal Vote Campaign
Through the Equal Ground Equal Vote Campaign, black families, black youth, returning citizens and faith leaders will have the opportunity to address the economic, social, and political issues that have systemically plagued black communities for years. Through our innovative Make A Plan to vote tool https://equalground.vote/ we will conduct voter registration, education, and engage central Floridians in ways to access their ballots through a vote by mail sign-up. The I-4 corridor is made up of a large constantly growing population of black voters and was the headquarters of the Amendment 4 victory to re-enfranchise returning citizen voting rights.
In the ACLU Report “Let Florida Vote: Coronavirus is Only the Newest Barrier to Voting” they found that 70% of white voters to 50% of Black voters responding to the Survey of the Performance of American Elections reported being very confident that their vote was counted in 2016. The report also indicated that Black voters were twice as likely as white voters to have their ballots rejected due to signature issues and other discrepancies. Florida is historically known for voter disenfranchisement creating a mistrust of the election process among Black voters, a challenge Equal Ground will target through its campaign.
Jasmine will help lead local staff across Central Florida to ensure the deepest level of engagement. Below are our regional community staff:
Jasmine Burney-Clark is an Orlando native with her most notable work as a former Senior Advisor to the NAACP(National), Executive Director of the Florida 501c3 Civic Engagement Table, and various roles for Alex Sink for Governor, Geraldine Thompson for Senate and Tom Steyer's NextGen America campaigns.
Mario Davis is a Volusia county native, Accountant, Community Leader and Political Consultant. He has provided political strategies for 17 local and state campaigns over the last decade. He has also worked with community engagement organizations to provide resources to underserved areas within Volusia County.
Monisha Perkins a former Orange County Government employee and electoral campaign staffer. She specializes in community and faith-based organizing throughout Central Florida by activating faith leaders in the civic engagement and voter registration process.
Vaughn Beal is a Tampa Bay community activist and returning citizen. For the last decade, he has been working at coalition-building organizations and with local churches advocating for fathers and families. He specializes in collecting petitions, voter registration, and voter turnout.
Justin Jones is a local community activist in Orlando who has fought for economic and civil change for the past several years. He has worked on campaigns that fight for the fair treatment and higher wages for workers and for the restoration of Felons' Rights.
Pastor Marcus McCoy, a Volusia county native and serves as the Senior Pastor of the historic Greater Refuge Memorial Church in Downtown Orlando, FL. His community and congregational work perfectly intersect social justice issues and the black church.
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Photo Credit: Kimberly Jackson,www.kimberlyjjacksonphotography.com
About Equal Ground
Founded in 2019, Equal Ground is a community-centered organization engaging the rising American electorate through equal access to education about voting and empowerment. We work to fight for the issues we believe in, from equality, a living wage, healthcare, to fair elections, climate change, and social justice.
We focus our efforts on the rising American electorate with the goal of building and expanding current capacity in underserved communities. To find out more and participate in the Equal Ground Equal Vote Campaign, visit https://www.equal-ground.com/