By Chanté Russell, Howard University News Service
A collegiate chapter of the voting justice advocacy organization, Fair Fight Action was launched on the campus of Howard University earlier this month. The new chapter is currently the only active collegiate chapter outside of the state of Georgia.
Fair Fight was founded by Stacey Abrams following her 2018 bid for governor of Georgia.
According to a press release shared on the chapter’s social media accounts they will focus on, “equipping Howard students with the tools and resources needed to become champions for voting justice on campus and in their local communities.”
The press release went on to say that the chapter would work to build on initiatives such as the Howard University Student Association partnership with TurboVote in order to encourage higher student voter registration.
“Some ideas I have included a screening of the documentary ‘Suppressed: The Fight to Vote,’ which details the voter suppression that took place in the 2018 midterms, specifically the gubernatorial race Stacey Abrams was in, which ultimately lead to the creation of Fair Fight,” said senior journalism major and chapter president Kési Felton. “I would also love to take a group of Howard students to a local high school to talk about the importance of voting and pre-register juniors and seniors to vote.”
Some of Fair Fight’s past initiatives include reaching out to inform Georgia voters of their risk of being purged from registration lists and taking legal action against those purges.
“Fair Fight brings awareness to the public on election reform, advocates for election reform at all levels, and engages in targeted voter registration and other voter outreach programs and communications,” reads the organization’s website.
Recently, the organization has received media attention for raising over $20 million since its founding, $5 million of which was donated by 2020 presidential candidate and former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg.
While the new collegiate chapter is not yet officially recognized as a Howard University student organization, they have expressed enthusiasm about beginning to expand Fair Fight’s work to the Mecca.
“Since we’re not an official organization yet, my goal is to work with recognized organizations who have similarly aligned goals to get Fair Fight’s name and mission into the conversation to garner awareness and support,” said Felton.
The chapter also posted on social media inviting those who have been affected by voter suppression, individuals interested in joining their cause and organizations looking for support with voting education initiatives to complete their interest form which can be found on social media platforms @FairFightHoward.
