EATONVILLE, Fla. – Equal Ground Education Fund (c3) and Equal Ground Action Fund (c4) announce the launch of its new voter registration, education and turnout effort in Black communities across Florida. Florida is historically known for voter disenfranchisement creating a mistrust of the election process among Black voters, a challenge Equal Ground will target through its campaign.

Through Equal Ground’s innovative “Make A Plan to Vote” tool https://equalground.vote/, organizers will conduct voter registration, education, and engage Floridians in ways to access their ballots through a vote by mail sign-up.

The I-4 corridor is made up of a large, constantly growing and expanding population of Black voters that were the nexus for the 2016 Amendment 4 victory to re-enfranchise returning citizen voting rights.

The major component of Equal Ground’s new mission is to partner with faith-based leaders statewide to retool the extremely popular voter tradition of "Souls to the Polls”- to socially distanced "Park & Praise "events across the State of Florida. Black churches are more than spiritual gathering places, they’re vessels to equip African Americans with political information and the access to information needed for political change.

In order to stay within CDC guidelines, attendees will be able to participate in Park & Praise from the comfort of their own vehicles by pulling in, dropping off their vote by mail ballot, and listening through speakers or transmitters on their car radio to hear from local faith, community leaders, gospel choirs, elected officials, musical entertainment and political candidates. Black families, Black youth, returning citizens, and faith leaders will have the opportunity to address the economic, social, and political issues that have systemically plagued Black communities for years.

“With the General Election in Florida less than two months away, we are excited to launch our Park & Praise events. We know residents are grappling with the safety measures needed to re-enter their communities due to the effects of Covid-19 and police brutality. It’s important to provide a safe, healthy space to engage our communities for the upcoming election” says Equal Ground Founder & Consulting Director Jasmine BurneyClark.

Equal Ground is partnered with the following pastors in the statewide Park & Praise events*: