National voting rights organization to meet with students at more than 20 Texas colleges and universities as part of “Take the Field” campaign to encourage student activism
TEXAS – Beginning Monday, February 14th, Black Voters Matter will lead a statewide outreach tour across Texas on its signature “Blackest Bus in America” to engage with young voters and build voting power ahead of Texas’ critical primary election.
The weeklong bus tour, which begins in Houston on February 14 and ends in Tyler on February 18, will stop at 21 local colleges and universities to educate students on ballot access, help them verify their registration status, assist them with creating voting plans, and lead caravans to polling sites. As part of BVM’s outreach, it will also conduct listening sessions at each campus to inform its “Take the Field” campaign to encourage student-led activism.
Monday’s bus tour comes at an important inflection point for voting rights in the state of Texas. Last year, Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas state legislature approved legislation to roll back voting rights protections statewide, which is already leading to widespread voter suppression.
Hundreds of mail-in ballot applications – the majority of which are expected to be from Black and brown voters – have already been rejected under the new law.
As the state prepares for an important primary election on March 1, the work to empower Texas voters and protect their voting rights has never been more urgent.
BVM’s Take the Field campaign seeks to inspire, train and engage Black college students in acts of civil disobedience that can lead to real influence on campus and in their larger community.
The campaign is primarily focused on historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and will empower students to take up issues such as voting rights, campaign finance reform, and the elimination of student debt on college campuses nationwide.
WHO:
Black Voters Matter
WHEN and WHERE:
All times CT
Monday, February 14 | Houston
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM: Lone Star College – North Harris (2700 WW Thorne Dr,
Houston)
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Houston Community College – Northeast (555
Community College Dr, Houston)
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM: University of Houston – Downtown (1 Main St, Houston)
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Texas Southern University (3100 Cleburne St, Houston)
BVM will lead March to Polls at 4:30 PM
Tuesday, February 15 | San Antonio
9:00 AM – 10:30 AM: St. Phillips College (1801 Martin Luther King Dr,
San Antonio)
10:30 AM – 11:30 PM: San Antonio College (1819 N Main Ave, San Antonio)
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM: Northeast Lakeview College (1201 Kitty Hawk Rd,
Universal City)
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM: University of Texas – San Antonio (1 UTSA Circle, San
Antonio)
BVM will lead March to Polls at 4:30 PM
Wednesday, February 16 | Austin
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM: Austin Community College – Riverside (1020 Grove
Blvd, Austin)
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM: University of Texas – Austin (110 Inner Campus
Drive Austin)
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM: Austin Community College (Highland 6101 Highland
Campus Dr, Austin)
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Huston Tillotson University (900 Chicon St, Austin)
BVM will lead March to Polls at 4:30 PM
Thursday, February 17 | Dallas-Ft. Worth
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM: Tarrant County College – South (5301 Campus Dr, Fort
Worth)
10:30 AM – 11:30 PM: University of Texas – Arlington (701 S Nedderman
Dr, Arlington)
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM: Cedar Valley College (3030 N Dallas Ave, Lancaster)
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM: Mountain View College (4849 W Illinois Ave, Dallas)
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM: University of Texas – Dallas (800 W Campbell Rd,
Richardson)
BVM will lead Caravan to Polls at 5:30 PM
Friday, February 18 | East Texas
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM: Southwest Christian College (200 Bowser Circle,
Terrell)
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM: Jarvis Christian College (Private Road 7631 Hwy 80
E, Hawkins)
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM: Tyler Junior College (1327 S Baxter Ave, Tyler)
3:30 PM – 5:00 PM: Texas College (2404 N. Grand Ave, Tyler)
