#TalkRadio – October 24: Rolling Out The Vote for the November 7th Elections in Kentucky and Ohio!

SPEAKERS:

Dianne Wilkerson: 12:00 PM – 12:57 PM ET
First African American Female to serve in the Massachusetts Senate and TJC Board Treasurer

Terry O’Neill, Esq,: 12:00 PM – 12:57 PM ET
Current Board Secretary of the Transformative Justice Coalition; former President of the National Organization for Women (NOW); Former Host of the podcast What Equality Looks Like; LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terry-o-neill-3076303/

Mollie Duffy: 12:15 PM – 12:28 PM Eastern Time
Junior at Miami University majoring in Public Administration; Civic Engagement Fellow for the Wilks Institute for Leadership and Service and active member of the Oxford League of Women Voters; National representative for Civic Influencers’ and a Transformative Justice Coalition Fellow.

Raoul Cunningham: 12:30 PM – 12:57 PM ET
President of Louisville Branch of the NAACP; Member of NAACP National Board of Directors

Priscilla Johnson: 12:30 PM – 12:57 PM ET
NAACP Voter Empowerment Chair for the Lexington-Fayette County NAACP

INTRODUCTION:

The Igniting Change Radio Show on Tuesday, October 24th, 2023, from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Eastern Time, entitled, “Rolling Out The Vote for the November 7th Elections in Kentucky and Ohio!”, will be live with Radio Show Co-Hosts and Transformative Justice Coalition (TJC) Co-Leaders Attorneys Barbara Arnwine, Esq. and Daryl Jones, Esq. and guests Dianne Wilkerson; Terry O’Neill, Esq,; Mollie Duffy; Raoul Cunningham; and, Priscilla Johnson.

As TJC plans to take the John Lewis bus on the road to GOTV with our partners in Kentucky and Ohio, Nov 2nd – 7th, this week’s Igniting Change focus is on the specific issues and challenges confronting voters in these two states. In addition, Igniting Change will speak about the other major state elections taking place in Virginia, Mississippi, and Louisiana (November 18th). TJC and its partners, various branches of the NAACP in Kentucky, the Divine Nine, and student leaders at Kentucky State University, the University of Louisville, and Central State University in Ohio, are all working vigorously to turn out the vote during the very limited time of early voting in Kentucky, Nov. 2nd – 4th, and on Souls to the Polls Sunday in Ohio on Sunday, November 5th, and for the General Election in both states on November 7th.

QUESTIONS:

SEGMENT ONE

• TJC’s leadership and 15 of our Freedom Riders will be taking the John Lewis bus to Kentucky and Ohio to inspire people to get out and vote. Why is this roadtrip with our many partners in both states so critical?
• Terry, you’re going to be rolling with us. Why are you taking your own time to do this extraordinary measure to be on the road with us for 8 days?
• Dianne, you were on the road with TJC in Georgia. From your personal experience, why are these votercades important?
• Many people have no idea there are elections this year. Aren’t these “off-cycle” elections really a massive form of voter suppression?

SEGMENT TWO

• Mollie, you recently posted on LinkedIn an article you were featured in and talked about the heights you have reached with voting rights activism. Tell people about your amazing recognition.
• Mollie, you attended the TJC Gen Z and Millennial Votes Matter Leadership Training in October 2022 in Washington, D.C. How did this play into the development of your career as a democracy and voting rights advocate?
• Mollie, in Ohio, for this election what are going to be the biggest barriers that will block students from voting?
• What issues are students going to be most hype to vote for?
• Mollie, what are your final thoughts to our listeners?
• Mollie, Thank you for all of your hard work. How do our listeners get in contact with you?

SEGMENT THREE

• Mr. Cunningham and Miss Johnson, thank you for your great leadership in fighting for voter justice in Kentucky. Why is getting out the vote for this election so important?
• Mr. Cunningham and Miss Johnson, what are the major issues that Kentuckians will be addressing for this election?
• Given all the misinformation and lack of information, it appears that we must elevate our movement. How do you think that we can best build a great national public education campaign to reach all those in the various states with correct information about voter eligibility and the process to help restore their right to vote?

SEGMENT FOUR

• [At the top of segment four, Barbara and Daryl will give a brief reminder about the US Department of Agriculture’s Discrimination Financial Assistance Program. The Black farmers fund, from the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program, is being funded by the Inflation Reduction Act. The Inflation Reduction Act contains an assistance fund for farmers who were discriminated against. This fund has $2.2b to cover 75 million applicants and covers anyone who can provide proof that they were discriminated against by the federal government. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is extending the deadline for the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program to January 13, 2024, to give eligible farmers, ranchers and forest landowners more time to apply for assistance. The original deadline was October 31, 2023. In addition to the application deadline change, the deadline to request records from USDA’s Farm Service Agency for use in applications has been extended to Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. The application process was designed so that FSA records are not required, though relevant records may be attached to an application as additional evidence if they are available. To learn more about the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program or receive assistance in English or Spanish, visit www.22007apply.gov, email info@22007apply.gov or contact the national call center at 1-800-721-0970 from 8 a.m. ET to 8 p.m. PT, every day except federal holidays. If you use sign language to communicate, you can use the 711 relay service to call. You may also email or contact the national call center if you have a disability and need another accommodation. Information about the program, resources, recent office openings and local events across the country is also available through a weekly e-newsletter.]
• Terry and Mr. Cunningham, we’re so excited that we will kick off our GOTV campaign in Louisville on November 2nd. What does this mean to you?
• Priscilla, we’ll be at Kentucky State University on November 3rd and Lexington on November 4th. What does this mean for the people that we will encounter in Lexington?
• Dianne, as a former state senator who’s had to run elections, what do you see as the impact of this road trip to get out the vote?
• How can our audience be involved and help?
• What are your final thoughts to our listeners?
• Thank you for all of your hard work. How do our listeners get in contact with you?