Black women voted at a record 68.1 percent during the 2008 presidential election, outpacing all other demographic voting groups and establishing their presence as a formidable voting bloc.

Voting can be a bit intimidating if one does not have the appropriate guidance, especially for first-time voters. My name is Monica B. Villa; I am a current intern at The Urban League of Philadelphia and a first-time voter.

Growing up, my father was always an active voter, but my mother was not. I asked her why she would not vote.

Getting to equal means ensuring that all our brothers and sisters have the opportunity to participate civically in state, local, and national elections. Since 1868, Florida’s constitution inserted and enshrined an all-too-common contradiction into one of America’s founding principles: that all her people are created equal. Men and women who strayed from the path but paid their debt to society were not allowed to rejoin it as productive citizens.

On January 3, 2019, the Congressional Black Caucus swore in its largest ever class of 55 members. The class includes five members who chair powerful congressional committees, setting policy in key areas such as financial services, homeland security, science and technology, education and government oversight.  

You can easily find a host of articles that describe Dallas as the city with the lowest voter turnout in municipal elections among the 33 largest cities in the United States. As evidence, the last mayoral election in Dallas saw a meager voter turnout of about seven percent of all registered voters. The numbers are grimmer for registered 18-34 year olds. Only 1.7 percent actually made it to the polls during early voting and on Election Day.

An accurate population count is critical to upholding individual rights and the efficient function of the United States government. It is an essential tool that determines the equitable distribution of services and ensures true democratic representation.

Much has been written, postulated, and quite frankly, misunderstood about the generation born between 1980 and 1996—also known as the millennials or Generation Y. This elusive demographic has been described as the logical offspring of the self-indulgence and entitlement of the 1980s and is often portrayed as aimless tech aficionados or hopeless idealists.

Today, the mainstay of our American democracy – the sacred right to be heard at the ballot box – is under continued threat: a threat which the National Urban League has always recognized has an impact on the state of Black America.

The peculiar institution, coined by South Carolinian John C. Calhoun, seventh vice president of the United States (1825-1832), was a euphemism used by white southerners to describe slavery in the South, a time in our history when Blacks were counted as “fractional” persons in the U.S. census.

I joined Facebook because I believe deeply in the good that happens when people connect. We can stay in touch with friends, create communities, and talk about important issues. Facebook gives people a way to use their voice — and this is especially important for people who want to build social movements or whose voices have not always been heard.