The Source |Vote Or Else Initiative Town Hall Meeting Takes Over Atlanta

It was a day of civic engagement, community outreach and community in Atlanta on Friday, as Killer Mike welcomed an array of rappers, actors and athletes to his old neighborhood. The multiple Grammy Award winner once again teamed up with the organizations Mobilize Justice, The AAPI Victory Fund, Working Families and SEIU to encourage people to vote.

At the start of the day, Mike was joined by Marvin Bing, founder and leader of Mobilize Justice, and his group of celebrities Beanie Sigel, Jadakiss, Blacc Sam, Jorge “JP” Peniche from The Marathon, Jadakiss, Tamika Mallory, Latoya Tonodeo from “ Power Book II: Ghost,” Smoke DZA and Wayno as they headed to parts of ATL including the Camelot Projects. The collective went door to door talking to residents in an effort to encourage and enthuse people to vote in this historic and critical election, and to learn about candidates running for state and local elections and then to go to the polls in November. 5.

Later that evening, media personalities Angie Martinez and Ray Daniels moderated a town hall attended by most of the famous canvassers, along with Dee-1, Benny The Butcher, Working Families’ Maurice “Moe” Mitchell, SEIU International President April Verrett, founder and founder of SEIU . Onyx Impact CEO Esosa Osa, Woody McCLain of “Power Book II: Ghost,” Isaac Keys and J. Alphonse Nicholson play Lil’ Murda in the hit Starz series “P-Valley.”

“We can really determine what happens in our own neighborhood,” Benny said about the urgency of voting. “What’s really happening in the fabric of America is something we can impact and change. I have mothers, daughters, sisters, cousins, and it’s important… My daughter, she’s 19. I told her, ‘vote.’ Make sure you vote this year.” It is her first time to vote. “Make sure you do that and exercise your right to do that.”

Beanie Sigel, who has been researching and participating in town halls in cities like Detroit, Chicago and Philadelphia since this summer, is passionate about helping people get informed and get to the polls.

“I always say: ‘he who is closest to the problem is also closest to the solution’ Beanie Sigel told the crowd at the town hall, which took place at Atlanta’s Gathering Spot.

Sigel also reflected on speaking to a bunch of kids at a neighborhood community center called PawKids, which focuses on enriching youth, health care and education in the neighborhood.

‘I was one of those kids’ Hat added. “I spoke to them. I haven’t talked to them. I didn’t talk to them. I talked to those kids. Many of us talk to each other. But let’s talk to each other. One of my biggest records, I say, ‘Why am I here? I’m going through it, so you wouldn’t do it after me.’ If I can’t teach these kids or anyone else anything else, I can teach them what not to do based on the mistakes I’ve made in my life. It’s never too late for change. So if I could do it, I encourage all of us to do it.”

“Especially in recent months, we have stepped up our efforts to focus on the inner city, communities often neglected in mainstream campaigns, and target subcultures within the Black community to become educated, involved, registered to votes and ultimately for votes,” says Marvin Bing. “You will see my organization Mobilize Justice working with the AAPI Victory Fund, SEIU, Working Families and so many others. It’s a real collaborative collaborative effort. The hip-hop community is also doing its best to educate everyone and involve neighborhoods. The OGs have worked with a number of younger entertainers and they all share ideas, learn from each other and pass the information on to the community. Everyone also learned from some community members. The biggest advantage is that everyone has a voice and everyone has power with their vote. We will be coming to more cities in the last days before November 5, in an effort to include everyone.”