How Cassandra Welchlin’s Voter Engagement Program is Transforming Mississippi Politics

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Written By Blue & Gold NLR Team

 

 

This article highlights the voter engagement efforts led by Cassandra Welchlin, a long-time community organizer in Mississippi. She spearheads the Power of the Sister Vote Boot Camp, a training program designed to mobilize Black women to vote and increase their political engagement. The program, run by the Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable, focuses on counties with low voter turnout among Black women and aims to address barriers like restrictive voting policies in Mississippi.

Welchlin emphasizes the importance of Black women in civic engagement, seeing them as community catalysts. Her goal is not just increasing voter turnout but also empowering Black women to become leaders, potentially even running for office. The boot camps, which have a military “battle” theme to reflect the challenges of voting in Mississippi, offer training, child care, meals, and even gift cards to make participation easier.

The article also explores the historical and ongoing challenges to voting rights in Mississippi, including voter suppression and gerrymandering. Despite these obstacles, the work of Welchlin and others continues to inspire a new generation of Black women to take part in the democratic process and bring about change in their communities.

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