In our “Value of the Vote” sessions we were able to take our message into multiple and varied spaces. In 2024, those spaces included middle and high schools, seniors’ complexes, houses of worship and more.
Many of the visits included collaborations with multiple organizations. We were able use the visits as platforms to also promote messages from the leaders of organizations like Voting Access for All Coalition, Detroit Change Initiative, and Oakland Forward. In addition to this, we worked in collaboration with the Michigan Department of State in combined sessions with their Mock Elections program.
This work afforded us opportunities to present before audiences as massive as 400 or more in some school venues as well as smaller venues of 30 – 40 in our collaboration with Speak Life and the Black Achievement Fund. This led to a statewide “Barbershop Tour” effort.
These sessions allowed us to inform listeners on the history of voting in America from the Constitutional Convention to the current state of voting in America. WYVIW has developed a program that clearly demonstrates the relationship between voting and the American democracy and thereby demonstrates the “Value of the Vote”.
The expansion of our work and our methods and messaging resulted in recognition in a number of ways:
- In October 2023, When You Vote – I Win was honored for our work as our Founder
received the NAACP-NOCB Judge William J. Waterman “Courage in Leadership” Award. - In April 2024, WYVIW was honored by the Oakland County Bar Association and
received the Allene and Martin Doctoroff “Liberty Bell” Award. - Our work continued to expand nationally.
- In September, we partnered with Spark the Vote and the decision was made to submit a video entry for their “Social Media and Film Challenge”. We contracted with our videographer to create what would essentially be the trailer for our planned documentary, Three Marches – Two Sisters – One Bridge, a story of the women who are our foundation. Our entry in the national competition was chosen as the award-winning effort.