By Kamryn Marshall
Florida A&M University (FAMU) will host a Black History Month Town Hall at 9:30 a.m. Thursday featuring a discussion on African Americans and the vote.
The African American vote will be crucial in the 2020 presidential election, said David Jackson Jr., Ph.D., associate provost for graduate education. He hopes the discussion will persuade students to register and cast their vote for the upcoming elections.
“Any discussion on African Americans and the vote that will educate our students on political matters and engender a feeling of responsibility as it relates to community engagement and voting, will help make our students become more conscious participants in our democracy,” Jackson said.
Held in the Lee Hall Auditorium, the event will feature a panel that includes NAACP Youth and College Division Director Tiffany Loftin. An activist, Loftin has a history in organizing labor unions and empowering communities of color. President Barack Obama appointed her to serve on the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans in Higher Education. Her goal is to encourage and organize young Black leaders across the world who care about social, racial, and economic justice.
Other panelists are Tallahassee City Commissioner Curtis Richardson, and several members of the FAMU History Department, including Kimberly Brown Pellum, Ph.D., John Warford, Ph.D., and Darius Young, Ph.D.
Students, faculty and members of the community are welcomed. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask panelists questions regarding topics discussed at the event.