Young Black Lawyers Are Heading To Swing States To Educate Black Adults On Voting Rights

A new day is here when it comes to voter engagement thanks to some of the bright young minds who study law.

Young Black lawyers and law students at The Young Black Lawyers’ Organization Coalition (YBLOC) are actively recruiting peers to be sent to Michigan, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas. Their goal is to meet with Black voters and help them fully understand the barriers that this historically disadvantaged voting bloc faces when registering to vote and accessing the ballot, according to AP News.

The organization is leading educational focus groups with one ambitious goal: to restore the faith of fatigued Black voters in American democracy."

“I think what makes us unique is that we’re new messengers,” said Abdul Dosunmu, a civil rights lawyer who founded YBLOC. “We have never thought about the Black lawyer as someone who is uniquely empowered to be messengers for civic empowerment.”

Dosunmu said recruits will take initiative by combating apathy among Black voters through listening, rather than telling them why their participation is crucial. These focus groups are in it to inform “a blueprint for how to make democracy work for our communities,” Dosunmu said.

In a Pew Research Center report back in 2023, just 21% of Black adults acknowledged that they trust the federal government to do the right thing at least most of the time. That’s actually up from a low 9% amid the Trump administration. But for white adults, those numbers were reversed, as 26% of white adults expressed such trust back in 2020, which dropped to 13% amid the Biden administration.

The goal for the focus groups started in Michigan in February. This month, it will go to Texas and North Carolina. Venues will be barbershops, churches and union halls.

Third-year Howard student, Alyssa Whitaker, said she’s all systems go because she is disgruntled over the relationship Black communities have with American democracy.

“Attorneys, we know the law,” Whitaker said. “We’ve been studying this stuff and we’re deep in the weeds. So, having that type of knowledge and expertise, I do believe there is some level of a responsibility to get involved.”

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