'Black Men Got Something to Say Tour' Mobilizes in Georgia Ahead of Midterm Elections

A group of Black men will be mobilizing in nine cities across the state of Georgia ahead of the 2022 midterm election.

Led by Black Man Lab and the New Georgia Project, the “Black Men Got Something to Say Tour'' will be in Statesboro, Macon, Columbus, Albany, Savannah, Augusta, Clayton, City of South Fulton and Atlanta. The tour kicked off Sunday, according to newsone.com.

The tour’s theme plays off the iconic Andrea 300 quote: “the South got something to say,” and the mission revolves around prioritizing Black men just before the most competitive election in the South.

On these tours, Black men from the area communities will share a space and voice concerns and hopes. Additionally, having the launch of the tour in Statesboro is symbiotic of the Marc Wilson case. Wilson, allegedly, tried to defend himself against a group of white teens who tried to run him and his girlfriend off the street in the summer of 2020.

Although the groups will highlight the importance of voting as a tool for change, the groups want Black men and boys of all ages to come out. The tour follows the Black Brothers Vote campaign launched by BGP through its Voting Initiative and Brothers Engagement (VIBE).

In part, led by NGP organizing Director Billy M. Honor, the effort is a chance to give Black men a forum to discuss politics.

“Black men have been left out of the political conversation too long in our state and our country,” Honor said. “We are out talking to Black men every day at their doorsteps, in the barbershop, on the basketball court, listening to their concerns, and their solutions, and, hopefully, giving them a reason to vote this year and for years to come.”

The Black Man Lab envisions this effort as the start of a broader statewide initiative to engage and develop power with Black Men. Created in 2016 by four fathers and their sons, the Black Man Lab “provides a weekly space for Black men to come together and discuss personal concerns, professional development, politics and more.”

“The Black Man Lab Tour will provide a safe and sacred space for Black Men to share their concerns with the current political environment,” Marty Monegain, executive director of the Black Man Lab Foundation, said. “More importantly, what the tour will bring forth is a forum for Black men to realize the power of their vote and that they are the tip of the spear for true change.”

Tour Dates:

Tuesday, Oct. 25, 6:30 pm, The Douglass Theater, 55 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Macon, GA

Wednesday, Oct. 26, 6:30 pm, Zo’s Lounge, 4910 Buena Vista Rd Ste. A-2, Columbus, GA

Tuesday, Nov. 1 (Albany)

Wednesday, Nov. 2 (Savannah)

Thursday, Nov. 3 (Augusta)

Photo Credit: Black Man Lab Instagram