Greene County Democrat

Category: Community

  • Job Fair: Hiring Event Happening in Greene County

    West AlabamaWorks! to hold hiring event in Greene County tomorrow at the Robert H. Young Community Center.

    TUSCALOOSA, Ala. March. 25, 2024 — West AlabamaWorks! is inviting job seekers in Greene

    and the surrounding counties to attend a hiring event tomorrow, Tuesday, March 26 at the Robert H. Young Community Center, 720 Greensboro Ave, Eutaw, 35462.

    “This is a wonderful opportunity for job seekers who are looking for employment in Greene

    County,” said LaTasha Johnson, mayor of Eutaw. “West AlabamaWorks! has provided countless

    individuals in our community with opportunities for a brighter future. To any prospective

    employee seeking work, we encourage you to attend and participate in this free event.”

    The hiring event, in partnership with West AlabamaWorks! and the Alabama Career Center

    System, will host over 13 companies including Jolly Heating and Air Conditioning, Greene

    County Health System, WestRock, Premier Service Company, Rural Health Medical Program,

    DCH Health System, and West Alabama Mental Health Center. Job seekers will have the

    opportunity to speak with company representatives and apply for open positions.

    Anyone attending the free hiring event on March 26 is encouraged to pre-register at http://www.westalabamajobs.com/GC.

    About West AlabamaWorks!

    The Region 3 West AlabamaWorks! Council, in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce of

    West Alabama, leads workforce development efforts throughout West Alabama. Together, we

    facilitate and implement a comprehensive, coordinated, and seamless workforce development

    system for the region and support workforce training activities. With a mission to promote

    regional economic prosperity by providing support services to both employers and job seekers,

    West AlabamaWorks! serves as the central hub for workforce development efforts and training.

    Through West AlabamaWorks!, business and industry leaders have been able to create a

    workforce development system that supports all levels of development and serves to benefit both employers and job seekers. Five industry clusters have been identified that address the needs of individual industry sectors. Those five clusters are: automotive, health care, construction, manufacturing, and professional and business services. Leaders of each sector work together to minimize duplication of services and maximize potential of each provider. This is done by communicating key workforce needs in the nine-county region through both urban and rural outreach programs. Measurable results are evident as programs—and those positively impacted by them — continue to grow and develop.
     

  • Funeral Arrangement of Dr. Sandral Hullett, M.D.

  • Two anti-democratic bills – criminalizing absentee ballot assistance and restricting diversity, equity and inclusion efforts – pass Alabama legislature, await Gov. Ivey’s signature

    By Patrick Darrington, Alabama Political Reporter and Democrat additions

    On Tuesday, the Alabama Senate approved two bills, one that would criminalize certain forms of assistance during the absentee ballot voting process; and second one restricts diversity, equity and inclusion at state supported institutions. The bills will now move to Gov. Kay Ivey’s desk to be signed into law.
    The absentee ballot legislation, SB1, passed along party lines on a 24-5 vote. Bill sponsor Garlan Gudger, R-Cullman, has said the reasoning for the legislation is to prevent ballot harvesting and ensure election integrity. However, Democrats have argued the bill is a voter suppression tactic that is based on minute or zero evidence.
    The legislation makes it a Class C felony for a third party to knowingly receive a payment or gift for distributing, ordering, requesting, collecting, completing, prefilling, obtaining or delivering a voter’s absentee ballot application.
    Also, the bill provides that an individual will face a Class B felony if they knowingly pay or provide a gift to a third party to distribute, order, request, collect, prefill, complete, obtain, or deliver a voter’s absentee ballot application.
    Jerome Dees, Alabama policy director for the SPLC Action Fund said the bill was one of the most egregious voter restriction bills since the Civil Rights era.
    “Weeks after memorializing the brave Alabamians who were viciously assaulted while marching to guarantee the foundational right to vote, the Alabama Legislature has passed one of the most egregious voter restriction bills since the Civil Rights era,” Dees said. “This cruel legislation aims to criminalize the charitable acts of good Samaritans across the state, whether from neighbors, church members, nursing home staffers, or prison chaplains.”
    Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, said the bill was merely “voter suppression” and that the issue of ballot harvesting was non-existent.
    The bill makes concessions for individuals with a disability or those experiencing a medical emergency if they need assistance. However, while Republicans will argue this is a step to protect against voter fraud Democrats and voter advocacy organizations argue it will scare people from voting absentee.
    In Greene County, where there have been investigations of absentee balloting and people have gone to Federal prison for helping people to apply for and cast absentee ballots, this legislation will further suppress the use of absentee ballots, said a representative of the Alabama New South Coalition (ANSC).
    The Greene County ANSC which has had volunteers to help homebound and other voters, who wished to vote absentee, to secure and vote absentee ballots, says this will restrict their efforts to assist the most needy voters and reduce turnout in a rural county, where it is difficult for elderly and disabled voters to secure transportation to the polls on election day.
    An ANSC spokesperson said, “We have in the past provided stamps to help people mail back their absentee ballots. We are not sure this legislation will allow us to continue to assist voters in this way.
    Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

    Another bill seeking to restrict diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in Alabama passed the state legislature Tuesday and moves to Gov.Kay Ivey’s desk to sign into law.
    The bill, SB129, specifically targets public schools, higher institutions of learning, and state agencies to prohibit DEI programs on campuses, the teaching of “divisive concepts” as defined in the bill and includes a provision to force transgender people to use the bathroom that does not align with their gender identity.
    The legislation stipulates that schools and agencies cannot sponsor any DEI programs or require their students or employees to participate in them. It also states that they cannot punish students or employees for their “refusal to support, believe, endorse, embrace, confess, or otherwise assent to a divisive concept or diversity statement.”
    The bill passed along party lines as the Republican supermajority continues pushing through legislation they have deemed top priority.
    Civil rights groups have condemned the bill, saying it furthers the chilling effect classrooms have experienced in recent years as they become the site of culture wars across the country.

    In a statement in late February, free-speech advocacy group PEN America called the legislation “the most pernicious educational gag order impacting higher education.”
    The organization compared the bill to Florida’s “Stop Woke Act,” which restricts how workplaces, public schools and universities could teach diversity and inclusion until it was blocked in court. Alabama’s bill, PEN America said, is “even more restrictive.”
    The bill states that it does not prevent students and faculty at public schools from hosting DEI programs as long as state funds are not used to sponsor them. But it also includes a stipulation that state agencies and public institutions cannot use a grant or federal or private funding “for the purpose of compelling assent to any divisive concept.” The legislation adds that it does not prohibit teaching curriculum “in a historically accurate context.”
    The Alabama bill is the latest in a wave of conservative legislation that aims to restrict education on race, sex and gender and which kicked into high gear during the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic set off a wave of discontent among parents — and later politicians — nationwide, first over school closures and safety measures such as masking, but later over how public K-12 schools and universities are teaching about race, racism, history, sexuality and gender identity.

    Since 2021, close to 90 laws have been enacted across the country which limit or wholly forbid instruction on these issues at both the K-12 and university levels, a Washington Post analysis found. The laws were overwhelmingly adopted in red states. The first wave of such legislation focused more on issues of race instruction on K-12 campuses, and subsequently on how teachers can discuss gender identity and sexual orientation, but the latest round has been more squarely centered on diversity, equity and inclusion programs, trainings and even classes on college campuses.

    A spokesperson for the University of Alabama System — the largest public higher education system in the state — did not directly say whether its schools would cut DEI programming if the law goes into effect, but said it would “determine what actions are needed to ensure we can continue to fulfill our multifaceted missions and equip all campus community members for success at our universities and beyond in compliance with applicable law.”

  • April 7th program to honor the legacy and work of Dr. King, includes a play about King’s work with garbage collectors in Memphis, which led to his assassination

    The Alabama Civil Rights Freedom Movement hosts a commemoration program honoring the memory and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on Sunday, April 7, 2024, at 4:00 p.m. at the Renaissance Theatre Multiplex Center in Eutaw, AL   

    Spiver W. Gordon, President of the local civil rights organization, arranged with George Stewart of Birmingham, the play’s author and one of its actors, to bring the play to Greene County to commemorate the 56th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. King in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968.

    The play entitled, “King and the 13 Hundred” will have an admission fee of $10.00 payable in advance or at the door of the theater in downtown Eutaw. This will be a chance to see a dramatic play about the events at the end of Dr. King’s life, when he was working for economic justice with sanitation workers in Memphis.

    George Stewart , the playwright, can remember the exact moment he learned Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr had been killed. Stewart, who grew up in Tuscaloosa, was 13 years old at that time in 1968 and still can recall the pain, the heartache, the shock, and the anger. “I was young. Very young. But I felt like I was part of the movement,” he said. “And our leader of course had been assassinated.”
    
”I just asked God what you want me to do,” he recalled reflecting in his quiet time on what the day meant to him. “What part do you want me to play?” He ended up writing a play called “Trashing King.” It took him about a year to write it. “It’s a tribute to Dr. King as well as the 1,300 sanitation workers who were responsible for getting Dr. King to Memphis in 1968,” he said.
    
The name of the play, not lost on Stewart. He titled it that way on purpose. Because it tells the story that he believes some don’t know or truly understand. It was a sanitation worker’s strike that pulled Dr. King there. He had been invited.
    
Two Memphis garbage collectors, Echol Cole, and Robert Walker, were crushed to death by a malfunctioning truck in February of 1968, according to the King Legacy website. Twelve days later, frustrated by the city’s response in a long pattern of neglect and abuse of its Black employees, 1,300 Black men from the Memphis Department of Public Works went on strike, the website reports.
    
Stewart’s play focuses on the days leading up to Dr. King’s death. It only has four characters, but its message is about what Dr. King epitomized, he said. “I believe everybody’s gift should be used for the betterment of everyone,” Stewart said.
    
Cassandra “Dedee” Frazier plays a sanitation worker’s wife in the play. For her, the play was personal, because it helps tell Dr. King’s story. “To actually have children come up and say I had never heard that,” she said, recalling civil rights organization feedback. The play has been performed several times all over the southeast in the past six months.

    “I encourage them, why don’t you go back and read-up on it.”
”It’s a true testament of what Dr. King really means to people and what he wanted to see in people,” Stewart said. The lesson that he got from the play is one he hopes everyone gets.
    
”Let’s look into the heart of the matter of what he was about,” Stewart said. “It wasn’t just civil rights, but it was human rights.” Dr. King’s legacy, 56 years later, still guiding a light. Stewart felt he needed to commemorate it in a way that would honor Dr. King’s legacy.
    
George Stewart also hosts Alabama Gospel Roots, a one-hour television show that spotlight great gospel singing airs each Saturday at 8 p.m. CDT APT TV 

    For more information and tickets ($10.00) to the April 7, 2024, viewing of the play, at the Renaissance Theater in Eutaw, Alabama, please contact Spiver W. Gordon at  205-372-3446.


  • March Horse Show

  • Newswire : African women spur fight for gender equality, seeking economic and legal rights

    African women from Sierra Leone celebrating

    Mar. 15, 2024 (GIN) – At the recent “Africa Disrupt“, conference of pan-African feminists, economic justice activists and community leaders, among others, one thing was certain: the time for gender equality for African working women had arrived.
     
    Halfway around the world, a new report by the World Bank gave fuel to the fire. Currently, women enjoy only two-thirds of the legal rights as men and the gender gap is wider than laws on the books might suggest due to insufficient legal implementation.
     
    “Women have the power to turbocharge the sputtering global economy,” said Indermit Gill, the Bank’s chief economist. “Yet, all over the world, discriminatory laws and practices prevent women from working or starting businesses on an equal footing with men.” 
     
    Globally, women’s legal rights have improved since 1970, but progress in many critical areas appears to have been over-estimated.
     
    Gill, an Indian economist who has worked on economic growth, poverty, institutions, conflict, and climate change, and Tea Trumbic, the World Bank’s senior advisor for gender equality, released their report, Women, Business and the Law, 10th edition, this month.
     
    For the first time, the bank investigated the impact of childcare and safety policies on women’s participation in the labor market. When these two factors were taken into account, women on average receive just 64% of the legal protections that men do, down from the previous estimate of 77%.
     
    Among the success stories was Togo with one of the lowest rates of maternal mortality and less tolerance of violence against women between 15 and 49 than in peer countries. On the down side, Togolese women participate in the labor market to a much lower extent than men, and most female employment is informal and vulnerable.
     
    Togolese women also appear to be disadvantaged in terms of access to and ownership of land, productive assets, and finance. Although girls outnumber boys in primary school, the gender gap in enrollment favors boys in each subsequent educational level, and the chances of girls to complete secondary school are much lower than those of boys.
     
    Moreover, the rates of child marriage and teenage pregnancy, though lower than in most neighboring countries, continue to be very high. 
     
    South Africa, by comparison, has the highest income inequality in the world, with large numbers unemployed or with very low incomes. Gender-based violence is a profound and widespread problem, impacting almost every aspect of life. It is systemic and deeply entrenched in institutions, cultures, and traditions in South Africa.
     
    Meanwhile, the U.S., despite being the wealthiest country in the world by GDP according to the International Monetary Fund, still has a sizable gender pay and equity gap, and is one of just a few wealthy countries, including Japan and China, that does not mandate pay equality.
     
    The world loses US$160 trillion in human capital wealth due to gender wage inequality every year. Inequality is not just an issue of fairness. It is also undesirable because it hampers poverty reduction strategies and leads to suboptimal allocation of resources.
     
    A copy of the World Bankreport can be obtained by downloading it from wbl.worldbank.org   
     

  • Newswire: Descendants of 1811 revolt heroes acquire Woodland Plantation in Louisiana to preserve Black history

    The Banner sisters

    By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

    Jo Banner and Joy Banner, founders of The Descendants Project, have taken a significant step towards preserving the historical legacy of Black Americans by acquiring the Woodland Plantation in LaPlace, Louisiana. According to The Grio, their unwavering commitment stems from a deep-rooted understanding of the plantation’s pivotal role in history and a determination to authenticate its story.

    Raised on the West Bank of the Mississippi River, Jo Banner and her sister Joy Banner were steeped in the tales of their grandmother, who recounted the harrowing events of the 1811 revolt by enslaved people. The uprising, often overshadowed in historical narratives, saw the brave resistance of individuals like Charles Deslondes and approximately 25 others who sought freedom amidst the brutal oppression of slavery. 

    The Banners’ acquisition of the plantation marks a significant moment in the ongoing struggle to preserve Black history. After years of discussions with the previous owner, Timothy Sheehan, about safeguarding this heritage, the sisters finalized the purchase in January for $750,000. With the transaction completed, they now hold stewardship over a property that witnessed one of America’s largest uprisings of enslaved people.

    Their nonprofit organization, The Descendants Project, focuses on preserving and protecting the Black descendant community in Louisiana’s River Parishes. The Woodland Plantation, nestled in St. John the Baptist Parish, holds immense historical significance, encompassing 4,000 square feet of space on four acres of land.

    According to Sharlene Sinegal-DeCuir, an associate professor of history at Xavier University, the Banners’ initiative is profoundly impactful. It provides an opportunity for descendants of the enslaved to reclaim their narrative, offering a counterbalance to historical accounts that often marginalize their contributions.

    In addition to preserving the plantation’s history, the Banners said they intend to use the space as a hub for community engagement. By offering genealogy resources and facilitating discussions on environmental justice, they aim to create a welcoming environment where Black voices are heard and honored.

    The fight against environmental degradation in the region, epitomized by Greenfield Louisiana LLC’s proposed construction of a grain elevator export plant, underscores the ongoing struggle for justice. For Jo Banner, the significance of their ownership extends beyond mere property rights. It represents a reclaiming of space and identity, ensuring that future generations connect meaningfully with their heritage. As they embark on this journey, the Banners said they are determined to ensure that the Woodland Plantation remains a beacon of hope and empowerment for all who visit.

    “Knowing that home’s history and everything that happened, that our names are going to be put in the paperwork of this home, that you’re going to see it going all the way from the 1700s and white ownership and all of a sudden that they got more melanin on that title history, we’re already seeing how impactful that is for us to be in this space just as Black women,” Jo Banner told The Grio. “We’re going to provide access to the history in a way that Black people can feel welcome in the space.”
     

  • Newswire : Schumer calls for new elections in Israel, criticizing Netanyahu’s leadership

    Demonstrators call for Ceasefire in Gaza

    NNPA Newswire

    Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish official in the U.S., has delivered a scathing critique of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling for new elections in Israel amidst ongoing conflict with Hamas.

    Speaking from the Senate floor, Schumer emphasized that Netanyahu’s leadership no longer serves Israel’s best interests. “The Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel after Oct. 7,” Schumer proclaimed in a scathing takedown of Israel’s leader.

    Schumer’s declaration marks a significant departure from traditional U.S. support for Israel’s government and highlights a pivotal moment in American Israeli relations.

    As the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in U.S. history, Schumer’s call for Netanyahu’s ouster carries substantial weight, signaling a notable shift in the Democratic Party’s stance toward Israeli politics.

    “The world has changed — radically — since then, and the Israeli people are being stifled right now by a governing vision that is stuck in the past,” Schumer declared as he noted the urgency for change in Israel’s leadership.

    Accusing Netanyahu of prioritizing his political survival over Israel’s best interests, Schumer condemned the Prime Minister’s alignment with “far-right extremists” within his government, warning that such alliances risk isolating Israel on the global stage.

    “Israel cannot survive if it becomes a pariah,” Schumer demanded, stressing the need for Israel to recalibrate its approach to the conflict with Hamas and prioritize the protection of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

    Highlighting the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Schumer voiced support for a temporary cease-fire, echoing President Joe Biden’s efforts to alleviate suffering in the region. However, he cautioned against a permanent cease-fire, citing concerns that it could encourage Hamas to launch further attacks on Israeli civilians.
    “There can never be a two-state solution if Hamas has any significant power,” Schumer emphasized while reiterating the importance of safeguarding Israel’s security.

    Political watchers noted that Schumer’s bold stance underscores the complex dynamics at play in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and marks a pivotal moment in U.S. foreign policy as American lawmakers grapple with how best to support Israel while advocating for the rights of Palestinians.

  • Newswire : U.S. citizens flee Haiti amidst escalating chaos: global concerns mount

     Protestors burn tires in street to barricade areas in Haiti


    By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent


    Amidst escalating turmoil in Haiti, a recent exodus of U.S. citizens fleeing the violence underscores broader concerns about the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Caribbean nation. As conflict rages on in regions like the Middle East and Eastern Europe, voices like Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., President of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, emphasize the need for global attention to the suffering of people worldwide, including those in Haiti.

    “A lot of people are concerned about the suffering that’s going on in the Middle East, and they should be concerned,” noted Dr. Chavis Jr. in his State of the Black Press Address at the National Press Club. “But I’m also concerned. I don’t hear a word about the suffering in Africa, where millions of people are being killed in the Congo. I don’t hear a word about… what’s going on in Haiti.”

    Against this backdrop, a charter flight carrying more than 30 U.S. citizens seeking refuge from the spiraling gang violence in Haiti touched down in Miami on March 17, according to U.S. State Department officials. The evacuation came amid escalating chaos in Haiti, where gang attacks, looting of aid supplies, and widespread violence reportedly have pushed the nation to the brink of famine.

    The situation in Haiti has been deteriorating for over a year, with the recent chaos culminating in a pivotal moment on Monday night. Haiti’s embattled Prime Minister, Ariel Henry, agreed to step down once a transitional government is established through negotiations involving regional powers and stakeholders, including the United States.

    However, concerns persist over the legitimacy and effectiveness of such interventions, as many argue that Haitians themselves must drive actual solutions. A Haitian-led interim government with oversight committees tasked with restoring order, battling corruption, and facilitating fair elections is what the proposed “Montana Accord,” which has the support of various Haitian stakeholders, seeks to establish.

    Meanwhile, armed groups, including paramilitary factions and former police officers, have seized control of large swathes of the capital, Port-au-Prince, perpetuating a cycle of violence and instability. The United Nations estimates that at least 80% of the capital is now under the control of these armed groups, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis and displacing thousands of residents.

    As Haiti grapples with the convergence of manufactured and natural disasters, including the lingering effects of the 2010 earthquake, hurricanes, and floods, the plight of its people demands urgent attention and concerted action from the international community.

    “It’s the Haitian people who know what they’re going through. It’s the Haitian people who are going to take destiny into their own hands,” Jimmy Chérizier — also known as “Barbecue,” and the ranking gang leader in Haiti told the Associated Press. “Haitian people will choose who will govern them.”  

     

  • Newswire : Black and Latino voters are missing or incorrectly listed in U.S. voter databases

    By Stacy M. Brown
    NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

    An eye-opening report titled “Surfacing Missing Voters: Addressing Data Systems, Tools, and Engagement Models that Invisibilize Black and Brown Communities,” authored by Miriam McKinney Gray for the Democracy & Power Innovation Fund (DPI), has unveiled a concerning reality: Nearly 25 million Black and Latino eligible voters are effectively absent from voter databases, making them virtually unreachable by traditional outreach methods. 

    The revelation is crucial as America heads toward the all-important November general election between Democratic incumbent Joe Biden and the twice-impeached and four-times indicted former president Donald Trump.
    Drawing from U.S. Census data and a recent Stanford study, the report estimated that approximately 24.76 million Black and Latino voters are either missing or inaccurately listed in databases sold by vendors.

    The disparities revealed in the report are stark, with 40 percent of Black and Latino individuals missing from voter outreach efforts, compared to only 18 percent of white individuals. The paper-thin margins seen in recent crucial races serve as evidence that such glaring disparities in representation could significantly impact the results of future elections. During the 2020 election, Biden beat Trump in the popular vote by approximately 81.2 million to 74.2 million votes, or a 51.3 percent to 46.9 percent margin.

    “For instance, almost half of eligible Black and Latino voters won’t be seen or contacted by traditional campaigns. This is a five-alarm fire for our democracy,” said Miriam McKinney Gray, founder and CEO of McKinney Gray Analytics, who analyzed the data based on U.S. Census records and a Stanford study. 

    “The only way many people will learn about the election is through independent power-building organizations. Groups like Voces de La Frontera in Wisconsin and Detroit Action are using friends-and-family organizing to find missing voters and manually rebuilding lists of voters who have been wrongly purged from government voter rolls.”
    Twenty-five million Black and Latino people “are invisible to the very campaigns that want their support. From our research on Black values, we know who they are and the tools needed to reach them,” said Dr. Katrina Gamble of Sojourn Strategies. “It’s not too late to change course, but that takes breaking barriers that campaigns have blindly accepted for decades. We think democracy is worth it, and so are the people who have been excluded.”

    Gamble is conducting groundbreaking nationwide research into the differences in values and political behavior of the Black electorate and analyzing clusters or segments of Black voters for the first time.
    All involved said the report spotlights the systemic marginalization of Black and brown communities within the ostensibly inclusive, data-driven digital systems of voter engagement prevailing in the United States. It identifies aggressive voter purges and biases inherent in vendor-generated models appended to voter files as key factors exacerbating this invisibility.

    According to the Democracy & Power Innovation Fund report, “One serious consequence of missing or incorrect data in purchased voter databases is that it distorts the algorithms that assign vote propensity scores to individual voters.”
    “Traditional campaigns regularly and intentionally leave out people with low vote propensity scores, deeming them not worth the investment. To put it plainly, this approach is wrong,” stated Ranada Robinson, Research Director for New Georgia Project.

    Similarly, Prentiss J. Haney, Senior Advisor to the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, highlighted the limitations of relying solely on political industry databases, noting that such dependence leads to the exclusion of millions of Black and Latino voters and inaccurate race modeling.

    To address these disparities and ensure a more equitable electoral process, the report proposes philanthropic investments in community-based data collection, support for antiracist modeling efforts, and adopting broad relational organizing strategies.
    The report called for concerted efforts to rectify the systemic biases ingrained within existing data systems and engagement models. The author asserted that a failure to address these issues risks perpetuating the disenfranchisement of marginalized communities and undermining democratic principles.

    “The people unseen by voter files are still capable, if organized, to make moves and wield their latent power,” added Joy Cushman, Senior Advisor to DPI. “People deemed ‘low propensity’ by models and the political industry are defying the odds and still turning out to vote. And many are doing even more than that: they are becoming active members and leaders in power-building organizations, mobilizing their friends and family to vote as we