#VoteATL: A Partnership with Community Movement Builders, The Ke'nekt Cooperative, Blue in Green Consulting, and the Center for Civic Innovation
Media Contact:
Summer Dunham
summer@civicatlanta.org
(480) 239-2049
#VOTEATL: A PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY MOVEMENT BUILDERS, THE KE’NEKT COOPERATIVE, BLUE IN GREEN CONSULTING, AND THE CENTER FOR CIVIC INNOVATION
A unified group of organizers, grassroots leaders, and social entrepreneurs work to improve city-wide engagement that extends beyond an election
Atlanta, GA - The Center for Civic Innovation (CCI), an advocacy organization fighting to solve inequality in Atlanta, helped launch a collective initiative, #voteATL, earlier this week. #voteATL aims to provide accessible, holistic, and easily digestible information about the electoral process, local government, voting, and ways for Atlantans to get involved in their respective communities ahead of, and more importantly, after Atlanta’s upcoming elections for mayor, city council, and school board.
#voteATL is led by the collaborative leadership between Community Movement Builders, The Ke’nekt Cooperative, Blue in Green Consulting, and the Center for Civic Innovation. With a priority on historic, yet often ignored Atlanta communities, these lead organizations will build a broader coalition of partners who are committed to strengthening and redefining the infrastructure of community engagement - and breaking the cycle of only paying attention to Black and brown residents during major election cycles.
All candidates for mayor have been invited for one on one, unscripted interviews that will start in August— and a joint candidate forum will be held on October 20, 2021. Starting this week, #voteATL teams will be canvassing the Ashview Heights, Pittsburgh, and Westview neighborhoods to better understand what residents are thinking and what their priorities are as the upcoming mayoral, city council, and school board elections approach. The initiative also includes the development of a city-wide voter guide, including specific voter guides for the Ashview Heights, Pittsburgh, and Westview neighborhoods. Each partner will host a community Town Hall in August, where residents can voice what opportunities and challenges in Atlanta are most important to their families, and City Council and School Board candidates will be invited to join a second event with residents in October. Additionally, specific resources are being developed that outline key information on recent changes in voting laws, voting guidelines for people in the carceral system, and information for transgender voters.
“When people are not being heard by their local government, the result is deeper inequalities,” said Rohit Malhotra, executive director of CCI. “Our efforts with #voteATL are designed to build an intentional infrastructure that lasts beyond election cycles. That’s one of the reasons our collaboration on this effort is so important -- we’re taking the lead from those who both represent and have deep-rooted experience in the community.”
“Intentional community led civic engagement is necessary to our historically under-resourced communities,” said Kiyomi Rollins, Co Founder of The Ke’nekt Cooperative.”Our commitment to the #VoteATL initiative is to uphold the rich legacy of voting and activism within Black communities while offering a transparent and critical lens of legislation/voting record of our elected officials beyond the ballot.”
#voteATL is committed to holding candidates publicly accountable on issues important to Atlanta residents. For more information about #voteATL, please visit www.voteATL.org.
About Community Movement Builders
Community Movement Builders is a member-based collective of black people building sustainable, self-determining communities through cooperative economic platforms and collective community organizing.
About The Ke’nekt Cooperative
Ke’nekt Cooperative is a hyperlocal community think tank of Legacy Black Businesses, Creatives, Micro Start Ups & Solopreneurs where global ideas are not only explored in theory, but developed and invested into by the very community in which they live with cooperative economics.
About Blue in Green Consulting
Blue in Green Consulting builds and enhances culturally relevant solutions that meet the needs of communities, organizations, and individuals.
About the Center for Civic Innovation
The Center for Civic Innovation is focused on elevating solutions that address the needs and reflect the voices of all people who call our city home. Our goals are to increase civic participation, elevate more effective solutions, and change local public policy. We use data and research to inform and engage the public, support and invest in the work of homegrown leaders, and advocate for short and long-term policy change. Learn more at www.civicatlanta.org.
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