WELL, A BLACK WOMAN AT THE TOP OF THE MAJOR PARTY TICKET FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY HAS CERTAINLY ENERGIZED MANY BLACK VOTERS.

SOME ORGANIZERS SAY IT'S NOT ENOUGH.

A LOCAL CHURCH WITH THE SUPPORT OF BLACK OWNED FOUNDATIONS IS LAUNCHING A STRATEGIC VOTING INITIATIVE AND BRINGING IN LOCAL AND NATIONAL STAR POWER LIKE REVEREND AL SHARPTON TO ENGAGE MORE BLACK VOTERS AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO COALESCE AROUND ONE CANDIDATE.

JOINING US NOW WITH MORE ON THE EVENT ARE DR. BYRON BRAZIER, PASTOR OF APOSTOLIC CHURCH OF GOD, RUFUS WILLIAMS, HOST OF THE MORNING SHOW WITH RUFUS WILLIAMS ON WVA WIN.

AND CORNELL SHELTON, A YOUTH ACTIVIST, AN INTERN AT THE LEWIS CAR FOUNDATION.

THANKS TO THE 3 OF YOU FOR JOINING US.

DR RAZORS.

LET'S START WITH YOU, PLEASE.

WHAT IS STRATEGIC VOTING AND DOES THAT WORK VOTING WAS INITIATIVE BY THE CHURCH TO BEGIN TO AND TO EDUCATE OUR CURRENT GEISHA THE COMMUNITY.

ABOUT NOT JUST FOOD ING HOUR.

INDIVIDUAL PERSONAL INTERESTS OR WHATEVER ISSUES WE MIGHT HAVE.

BUT HOW DO WE VOTE FOR OUR CHILDREN AND OUR CHILDREN'S CHILDREN?

HOW DO WE BUILD IN?

WE TAKE A LOOK AT OUR COMMUNITY AND WHAT WILL BE THE BEST CANDIDATE TO DO SO.

SO IT IS AN EDUCATIONAL FORUM ABOUT BUT HOW WE STRATEGICALLY LOOK VOTING AND THE ELECTORAL PROCESS AS A PART OF OUR ONGOING WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY AS A CHURCH, OK?

SO VOTING FOR THE COLLECTIVE GOOD HER SON'S VOTING.

THAT REALLY I THINK I THINK THIS I THINK THAT RIGHT.

OKAY.

RUFUS WILLIAMS, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE GOAL?

WHAT WHY DO WE NEED STRATEGIC VOTING NOW?

WELL, ONE, WE NEED PEOPLE TO VOTE.

IT'S BEEN APATHETIC THE TURNOUT AND VOTING, WHETHER IT'S HERE LOCALLY OR NATIONALLY AND CERTAINLY AMONG BLACK FOLKS.

THERE ARE TIMES WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THIS BEING THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION, THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION AND WE THINK ABOUT WHAT'S AT STAKE, CONSIDERING DEMOCRACY, CONSIDERING ALL THE THINGS THAT WE SEE IN PROJECT 2025.

IS IMPORTANT THAT WE EDUCATE IS DR. BRIDGES SAID INDICATE THE POPULOUS UNDERSTAND WHAT IS REALLY AT STAKE.

WHAT THE DIFFERENCES ARE AND PLEASE UNDERSTAND BRAND IS DR. RACHEL BEGIN THIS BEFORE PRESIDENT BIDEN STEPPED OUT OF THE RACE.

HE BEGAN THIS BEFORE KAMALA VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS BECAME THE NON THE EVENTUAL NOMINEE.

SO THIS WAS IMPORTANT EVEN BEFORE, BUT IT BECOMES MORE IMPORTANT NOW BECAUSE WE DO SEE WHAT THE IMPACT OF THIS IS, WHAT THE IMPACT CAN BE AND WITH THE IMPACT ON OUR COUNTRY, DEMOCRACY, OUR CITIZENS, OUR FUTURE WILL BE ON THIS RIGHT.

MENTIONED PROJECT 2025 A PASTOR, BRIDGER ONE.

AND THEN I WANT TO GET YOU IN QUITE OUT, CORNELL, BUT WAS HOW MUCH A PROJECT 2025 IS SORT OF THE IMPETUS BEHIND THIS EFFORT OR IS IT DO YOU CONSIDER IT A GOOD THING THAT YOU'RE ALREADY WORKING ON THIS BECAUSE THEN YOU LEARNED ABOUT 20 25 MILLION.

IT'S PROBABLY IT'S MORE.

THE WERE ABLE TO SEE WHAT WAS ACTUALLY GOING ON.

YOU COULD HEAR IT.

IN THE WORDS.

YOU COULD HEAR IT IN THE DIALOGUE.

YOU COULD SEE AND ACTUALLY FEEL IT.

AND SO WHEN WHEN THEY DOCUMENTED IT WAS KIND OF LIKE A NEW AT ALL THE SO THEIR PROJECT 2025 NOW LAYS OUT THE FORMULA FOR TAKING US BACK BEFORE THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.

AND I WAS BORN DURING THAT TIME.

SO I'M WELL AWARE AS A TEENAGER, I'M WELL AWARE OF WHAT THAT FELT LIKE.

AND I COINED THE SLOGAN TO MY CONGREGATION.

I'M NOT GOING BACK BACK IN MARCH AND APRIL AND THE VICE PRESIDENT IS SAYING THE SAME THING AND IT IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO KNOW WHICH IS THE REASON FOR STRATEGIC VOTING.

HOW DO WE KNOW?

TAKE A LOOK STRATEGICALLY, NOT JUST THAT.

YOU KNOW OUR GRIEVANCES BECAUSE ANYBODY HAS GRIEVANCES.

BUT WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE COLLECTED OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY.

WHAT SHOULD THE BLACK COMMUNITY LOOK AT?

THAT IMPACTS OUR EDUCATION IMPACTS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SO THAT WE WE WE RESOLVE OUR.

PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUES THAT WE MIGHT HAVE THEY CUT THEM BECAUSE THE COMMUNITY THAT TENDS TO HAVE A HIGHER EDUCATION AND HIGH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WILL TEND TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS THE SAFETY NEEDS AS WELL, OF COURSE, TO GET TO THAT END, YOU'RE HAVING A COUPLE OF TOWN HALLS.

WE MENTIONED BY A BIT A BIT OF STAR POWER THAT YOU'RE BRINGING IN FOR IT AS WELL.

ONE OF THOSE TOWN HALLS IS SPECIFICALLY FOR YOUNGER VOTERS WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN HEARING FROM YOUR GENERATION, YOUR PEERS WHEN IT COMES TO THIS ELECTION?

ARE THEY ENGAGED?

THAT'S FAR FROM MY PEERS HAVE BEEN HEARING THAT PEOPLE LOOKING FORWARD TO VOTING THIS YEAR, ESPECIALLY FOR THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT CAN SYSTEM BEHIND EVERYONE LOOKING FORWARD TO JUST LOOKING AT THE DIFFERENT CANDIDATES, HOW DIVERSE AND HOW DIFFERENT IT IS.

AND I'VE HEARD A LOT OF GREAT THINGS.

BEST.

5 PEOPLE ARE DEFINITELY PUSHING AGENDA TO VOTE THIS YEAR.

A LOT OF FOLKS THINK THAT YOUNGER VOTERS ARE KIND OF, AS YOU MENTIONED, ROOF IS APATHETIC, RIGHT?

LIKE THEY'RE THEY'RE NOT THAT INTERESTED IN.

MAYBE SOME OF THINK THEIR VOTE DOESN'T COUNT OR WHY BOTHER OR THEY'RE JUST BUSY THEY'RE STARTING THEIR LIVES AND THERE ARE STILL FIGURING IT OUT.

ARE YOU NOT HEARING THAT FROM FROM OTHER YOUNG PEOPLE?

CURRENTLY YOUNG PEOPLE IN JUST MY GENERATION IN GENERAL, WE THRIVE TO BE HEARD.

AND I BELIEVE THAT PUSHING THE AGENDA JUST TO BE HEARD AND HAVING OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE HAS BEEN A BIG DEAL WITH IN MY GENERATION OVERALL, I JUST HONESTLY BELIEVE THAT WE JUST HOPE THAT WE ARE PUT INTO THE PROCESS AND JUST BEING HER WITHIN THIS ELECTION IN GENERAL AND THAT WE DON'T LOSE ANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR NOT JUST US, BUT OUR FUTURE GENERATION.

PASTOR, GREATER IN, YOU'LL HAVE A DOCUMENT.

IT'S YOUR CASE FOR THE VOTING INITIATIVE IN.

THERE'S A SECTION THAT DEEMS THE MAGA MOVEMENT MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN MOVEMENT AS WELL AS WHITE NATIONALISM CHRISTIAN NATIONALIST MOVEMENT.

A THREAT TO AFRICAN-AMERICANS.

IT.

AND EVEN JUST TODAY RECENTLY LAST COUPLE OF DAYS.

TRUMP CAMPAIGN RECENTLY TWEETED OR POSTED ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM X FORMERLY KNOWN AS TWITTER TO IMAGES OF WHAT NEIGHBORHOODS WOULD LOOK LIKE UNDER TRUMP'S ADMINISTRATION VERSUS A HEAR U.S. ADMINISTRATION.

VIEWERS CAN SEE THAT FOR THEMSELVES RIGHT HERE ON THE SCREEN IS A TWEET LIKE THIS WHERE A POST LIKE THIS MAKE YOUR ABOUT NATIONALISM IN THIS ELECTION AND WHITE NATIONALISM?

ABSOLUTELY.

WHEN YOU TAKE A LOOK AT HIS HIS PLATFORM WHO IS ACTUALLY SUPPORTING AND WHO GETS THE MONEY?

AND YOU CAN'T DENY WHERE HE'S AT GIVEN THE INSURRECTION, GIVEN ALL THE THINGS THAT THAT HE HAS SAID, GIVEN HE ADDRESSED PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA.

HE NOW CALLS CAUSE NAMES OF THE VICE PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES.

AND HE'S COMPLETE DISRESPECT FOR THE BLACK COMMUNITY.

THE PROJECT 2025 IN EVERYTHING HE DOES CONTINUES TO.

FOCUS AND 2 AND TO MAKING REAL CONCRETE THAT AFRICAN-AMERICANS ARE NOT ON HIS LIST TO SUPPORT.

OR PEOPLE IN GENERAL.

RUFUS WILLIAMS, BLACK LIVES MATTER ORGANIZATION.

WE JUST HAVE THEM HERE ON ON CHICAGO.

MAKE BLACK VOICES JUST LAST WEEK IN THE GROUP HAS SAID THAT THEY WILL NOT ENDORSE VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS FOR PRESIDENT LEADERS ARE PLANNING TO WITHHOLD THEIR VOTE.

A LOT OF THEIR CONCERN IS OVER HOW SHE CAME TO BE THE NOMINEE, BUT ALSO CONCERNS ABOUT HER PLATFORM.

HER HISTORY AS A PROSECUTOR WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES?

WHAT DO YOU SAY TO FELLOW BLACK PEOPLE WHO ARE WHO ARE EXPRESSING THOSE CONCERNS AND CONSIDERING WITHHOLDING THEIR VOTE?

WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF WITHHOLDING YOUR VOTE?

I THINK A FEW THINGS.

ONE BLACK LIVES MATTER ITSELF.

BIG QUESTION.

A LOT OF QUESTIONS BECAUSE WHO IS THAT BLACK LIVES MATTER GROUP FROM THE MOVEMENT AFTER WE SAW POLICE SHOOTINGS, THEY HAVE THEIR OWN INTERNAL ISSUES.

SO WHERE THEY STAND ON ALL THOSE THINGS REALLY, IS CONCERNING.

WE FIND RIGHT NOW WE'VE GOT A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO JUST NEED BE CLEAR.

THEY DON'T LOVE TRUMP EITHER, BUT THEY'VE GOT SOME CONCERNS TELLING RESIDENT HERE WITHHOLDING VOTES, PARTICULARLY FROM ORGANIZATION, IS CALLED BLACK LIVES MATTER, GIVEN THE HISTORY OF WHAT IT TOOK US TO GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE.

JUST FLIES IN THE FACE OF EVERYTHING AND ALL THE LIVES THAT WERE LOST ON THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ENGAGED TO DO SO NOT VOTING IS A VOTE.

IT'S A VOTE REALLY DIMINISHES A WHOLE LOT OF OTHER BILLS THAT COME THROUGH HER PEOPLE JUST TODAY, PEOPLE KNOWLEDGEABLE PEOPLE TALK ABOUT AND ASK THE QUESTION, WHAT IS THE DEMOCRATS HAVE DONE AND WE CAN WALK BACK THROUGH WHAT THE DEMOCRATS HAVE DONE OVER THE YEARS, WHETHER CURRENT, WHETHER IT'S LONG TERM THAT'S BEEN HELPFUL TO BLACK PEOPLE.

SO WHEN IT'S WONDERFUL AS WE HAVE THESE DEEPER CONVERSATIONS, HE ON WTTA W AS WE HAVE THEM ON WVA WIND TO REALLY GET INTO THE NEXUS OF WHAT IS REALLY AT STAKE.

AND SO IN TALKING TO PEOPLE ABOUT AND EDUCATING PEOPLE AS HAPPEN APOSTOLIC ON WHAT THE ISSUES ARE AND WHO'S DONE SAID HOW THIS WORKS.

IT MAKES IT EVEN MORE IMPORTANT.

GROUPS LIKE THE BLACK LIVES MATTER WOULD MAKE THE STATEMENTS THAT THEY DO OLD.

WHAT IS AT STAKE FOR YOUR GENERATION IN THIS ELECTION FOR YOUNGER VOTERS?

THERE ARE QUITE A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT AT STAKE, BUT THINGS THAT REALLY STOOD OUT TO ME IN A COUPLE OF MY FRIENDS WHERE THINGS LIKE LOSING POSSIBLE GOVERNMENT ASSISTANT, ESPECIALLY AS A COLLEGE STUDENT.

WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE FREEDOM IN ASSISTANCE SUCH AS FOOD STAMPS AND THERE WAS QUITE A CONVERSATION OF LOSING THAT, WHICH WOULD BE VERY, VERY UNFORTUNATE.

SO THAT'S BEEN ONE THING THAT COULD BE A STATE AND THEN JUST POSSIBLE FREE, RIGHT?

JUST DIFFERENT THINGS OVERALL.

BUT THERE'S QUITE A LOT STAKE.

AND THAT'S WHY WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ALL VOTE 30 SECONDS LEFT PAST ABRASION YOU KNOW, PART OF YOUR ARGUMENT, AS WE'VE DISCUSSED, YOU KNOW, CALLS FOR A COALESCING AROUND ONE CANDIDATE, VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS.

BUT WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THE YOU KNOW, THE MANY BLACK REPUBLICANS WHO ARE REPUBLICANS AND OR SUPPORTERS OF TRUMP, WOULD YOU SAY TO THEM?

NONE OF THIS INITIATIVE IS REALLY ABOUT EDUCATION.

AND IF IN FACT, YOU WERE A BLACK REPUBLICAN, THAT'S FINE.

YOU VOTE YOUR INTEREST, IF YOU THINK THAT IS STRATEGICALLY IN THE BEST INTEREST OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND PLEASE VOTE THAT WAY.

AND SO OUR INITIATIVE REALLY HAS TO THE PINPOINT ALL THE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS OF OUR COMMUNITY AND TO BE ABLE TO SAY WITH THE YOU ARE.

VOTING AGE OF 17 OR ABOVE WHERE THE YOU'RE 90 YEARS OLD OR BELOW IT DOES NOT MATTER.

WE'RE NOT THAT WE SHOULD NOT BE SEPARATED BY AGE OR GENDER.

ALL RIGHT.

THANKS TO THE 3 OF