Dear ,

Everyone can play a role in helping people register and vote. Here are four ways you can help this month: 

• Postcard to infrequent voters. Handwritten postcards encourage infrequent voters to vote. VICPP can send you postcards, messages, and addresses of infrequent African American voters for your social action group to write and send postcards. Postcards must be mailed by October 1. Order in batches of 100. Send your requested quantity and mailing address to: Robert@virginiainterfaithcenter.org
  
  
• Text your friends and family. VICPP is training people to send their friends and family members texts about registering and voting. If you are tech savvy, you can download the phone app, Impactive (formerly OutVote), and enter the VICPP campaign code, which is 206173. If you’d like help setting up and using the app, we are conducting Impactive training sessions every Thursday at 6 p.m. until the elections. Register at: tinyurl.com/vicpp-impactive
  
  
• Souls to the Polls. Tomorrow night, Thursday. September 22 at 7 p.m., join our partner Faith in Action to learn how congregations around the country are encouraging people to vote by organizing “souls to the polls” events. Click here to register for the Souls to the Polls training.  
  
  
• 100 percent voting congregations. VICPP can assist you in making sure everyone in your congregation is registered and plans to vote by providing publicly available data about who is registered. You can also receive registered voters’ polling location information to provide to them along with information about who their state elected leaders are so they can be better advocates. To learn more, contact: Robert@virginiainterfaithcenter.org.

Voting strengthens democracy. It is how civilized society makes changes. Let’s strengthen Virginia by making sure all voices are heard. HERE'S A LINK to a flyer with this information so that you can share it with friends.

Thank you. 




Sincerely,

Kim Bobo
Executive Director 

The national Election Protection program is managed in our state by the Virginia Civic Engagement Table (VCET). Volunteer roles for the General Election in November are now available, each with a required training session. The training session is designed to give you tools and resources you will need, prepare you for what to expect, and run through a number of practice scenarios. Click on the buttons below to register for the training(s) you want. For more information, please contact Nick Gothard at: nick@engageva.org

If you blinked, you might have missed VICPP team members as we set up tables, carried our banner, and engaged with Virginians in different parts of the Commonwealth this past weekend!

On Thursday, VICPP's Executive Director Kim Bobo was joined by current and former Board members and community leaders, Charles Swadley, Bishop Pete Weaver, Rev. Dr. Anthony Fludd, Max Blaloff, and more at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg supporting workers and union leaders. 

On Friday, VICPP Criminal Justice Reform Organizer King Salim Khalfani was a special guest at an interactive documentary exhibit called called "Black America is..." which included his filmed interview.    

On Friday, VICPP joined the Djimon Hounsou Foundation (DHF) and fellow community partners at a networking event ahead of their Run Richmond 16.19 event. There, VICPP's Director of Communications (Ayesha Taylor) was able to chat with "Amistad" lead and "Gladiator" actor and DHF founder Djimon Hounsou about VICPP's and DHF's shared goals of confronting and challenging the racist acts against people of African descent that have molded Virginia's and America's history, and are still prevalent today. The conversation included what needs to be done to change this narrative and what VICPP has and continues to do in this area.

On Saturday, VICPP's Civic Engagement Coordinator Robert Lester, King Salim Khalfani, and Ayesha Taylor represented VICPP at the Run Richmond 16.19 event where we met with many members of the community -- most of whom had just finished running the race -- and helped them learn how to get registered and get out the vote, get activated, and get involved in VICPP's ongoing work. We also debuted new tee shirts which were a hit!

Meanwhile, also on Saturday, VICPP's New Leadership Development Organizer Dr. Terri Erwin was joined by VICPP Administrative Assistant and Union Presbyterian Seminary student Grace Maguire in speaking to students about VICPP at the at Union Presbyterian Seminary Public Theology Forum, a highly anticipated all-day event. There, Dr. Erwin also led a workshop on "Doing Faith in the Public Square." On Tuesday, Dr. Erwin was invited back to join students for an intimate coffee and conversation gathering that meets regularly to share the work of VICPP. 

Here are a few photos. Tons more content is coming soon on our social media. Make sure you're connected with us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter at: @vainterfaith

Sign and share our petition urging the Youngkin Administration and Virginia legislators to support better birth outcomes by addressing issues related to access, bias, and coverage--the ABCs of maternal death. We have launched a poster campaign to promote the petition and amplify awareness of the racial disparities in the current maternal health crisis, where Black women are dying three to four times more than their counterparts—with the majority of these deaths identified as preventable. With the simple scan of the QR code on the poster by the camera on a phone, you can access the petition to sign it online. You can help make a difference in the lives of women and children in Virginia. Download a letter-sized poster HERE to print and display in your congregation or another public place. Spread the word and the petition!

For a more comprehensive list of upcoming events, please click the button below to check out the VICPP Events webpage.  

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VCU apologizes for 1968 transplant in which Black man's heart was taken without consent

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