Say It Loud: I'm a Proud Black Voter

Back in the day, Sunnyland Slim warned "be careful how you vote." The song was released during Ronald Reagan's first term so black folks had good reason to be careful.

Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two voting rights cases challenging an Indiana law that requires voters to present a photo ID such as a driver's license or passport at the polling place. Voting rights activists liken the requirement to a 21st century poll tax.

There is concern that a photo ID requirement discourages minority, low-income and senior voters who may not have a valid government-issued ID. New voters like the young people who have been energized by Barack Obama and Ron Paul also would be at risk of disenfranchisement.

With so much at stake in the 2008 elections, African American bloggers have committed to doing their part to help remove barriers to full participation in the electoral process. The Afrosphere Action Coalition has launched a nonpartisan voter registration and voter education campaign, Proud Black Voter.

The campaign hopes to:

+ Inform the public about the importance of the need to vote
+ Facilitate people in getting registered

+ Encourage greater voter registration and election participation within the black community

Wayne Hicks, one of the campaign organizers, said the Proud Black Voter is "a tangible way to use the growing influence of black bloggers to influence the actions of our readers for the greater good."

Hicks added, "It is a way to use cyberspace to uplift people of African descent by pointing out ways for them to get registered and vote no matter where they live or who they want to support."

Your vote is your voice. To make your voice heard, you must be registered to vote.

For voter registration information, click here.