BET, National Urban League and an Expanding List of Key Impact Partners Unite on National Black Voter Day, Friday, September 18 to Energize and Mobilize Black Voters

BET announces the next phase of its nonpartisan #ReclaimYourVote campaign, which declares the inaugural National Black Voter Day to be recognized on September 18, 2020. In partnership with the National Urban League and an expanding list of over 40 key partners, BET will launch various initiatives and provide content to inform, empower and mobilize Black Americans’ participation in the November election. Resources will assist in getting voters registered, demystify some of the confusing processes, as well as provide guidance on voting rights restoration for eligible voters, and help voters create their voting plan to ensure their voices are heard. Blake Griffin (six-time NBA All-Star), Caron Butler (NBA Champion), Desmond Meade (President, FRRC/Voting Rights Activist), Dwane Casey (Champion Basketball Coach), Erica Campbell (Recording Artist), Jaren Jackson, Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies center), Jonica T. Gibbs (Actor, BET’s Twenties), Marc H. Morial (President & CEO, National Urban League), MAJOR. (Grammy Nominated Musician), Morgan DeBaun (Founder & CEO, Blavity, Inc), Mignon Von (Actor, Tyler Perry’s Sistas), Offset (Rapper), Rapsody (Recording Artist), Soledad O'Brien (Journalist/Producer), Stacey Abrams (Founder, Fair Fight Action), Ms. Tina Knowles Lawson (Co-Founder, Where Art Can Occur), Udonis Haslem (three-time NBA Champion), Vivek Ranadivé (Sacramento Kings Governor) and more are lending their voices to this powerful campaign with original PSAs that will be dispersed across BET’s platforms and by impact partners to their constituents. Additionally, a roster of media partners have joined these efforts, including Black Enterprise, Bounce, Entertainment Tonight, The Root, The Shade Room and The Skimm, as well as BET’s sibling networks MTV, VH1 and Comedy Central. National Black Voter Day coincides with some of the country’s earliest voting days in states like South Dakota and Minnesota – the latter being ground zero of the fight for racial justice, since the killing of George Floyd.

“BET continues to demystify the process of voting for Black citizens in a COVID-19 world, and #ReclaimYourVote will break down the necessary steps to make our voices heard. From securing and checking your voter registration to making a plan for how to vote to gathering your friends and family to vote with you, #ReclaimYourVote is committed to ensuring every step of the process is clear and accessible for Black voters,”Jeanine Liburd, Chief Social Impact & Communications Officer said. “Our partnership with the National Urban League and the expansive group of impact partners will combine as one mighty voice this September 18th on National Black Voter Day and beyond.”

“In the current climate of uncertainty and unrest, it’s important to make a plan for voting – particularly for Black voters,” National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial said. “Efforts to suppress the Black vote are coming from all sides, whether it’s restrictive state voting laws or foreign-based misinformation campaigns. National Black Voter Day is an opportunity to rise above the confusion and plot out a clear path to the ballot box. Whether by mask, in person, or by mail, it’s important to make a plan now, and execute that plan as early as possible according to the laws in each state. We’re leaving no voter behind in 2020.”

In addition to the National Urban League, several key impact partners signed on as of September 16, including the following:

• African American Mayors Association
• Alliance For Youth Action
• Alpha PAC
• BESLA
• BTheNow
• Black Church PAC
• Black Economic Alliance
• Black Male Voter Project
• Black Men Vote
• Black Voters Matter
• Black Women United
• Color Of Change
• Fair Fight Action
• Florida Rights Restoration Coalition
• Global Citizen
• Howard University Student Association
• Lyft
• NAACP
• NAACP LDF
• NAMIC, Inc.
• National Basketball Association
• National Action Network
• National Black Justice Coalition
• National Coalition on Black Civic Participation
• National Congress of Negro Women
• National Museum of African American Music
• National Urban League
• NextGen America
• Nordstrom
• PepsiCO
• Steve & Marjorie Harvey Foundation
• The Black Women’s Agenda
• The Collective PAC
• The Lawyers' Committee
• The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
• United Way Worldwide
• UrbanWorld
• VoteAmerica
• When We All Vote
• Young Black Lawyers' Organizing Coalition

Media Partners Include:

• Black Enterprise
• Bounce
• Entertainment Tonight
• The Root
• The Skimm
• The Shade Room
• MTV
• VH1
• Comedy Central

The nonpartisan #ReclaimYourVote initiative launched earlier this year to harness Black collective power and increase Black participation in the 2020 census and the 2020 election. To date, #ReclaimYourVote has leveraged activations, talent, civil rights partnerships and television spots to urge the Black community to be counted in the census and to take a stand and vote.

For more information, please visit www.reclaimyour.vote.

Join the conversation on social media by logging on to BET social media platforms and using the hashtags: #ReclaimYourVote and #BETVote and by following us @BET, @BETVote, and @BETNews.

About BET

BET, a subsidiary of ViacomCBS Inc. (NASDAQ: VIACA, VIAC), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African American audience. The primary BET channel is in 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, sub-Saharan Africa and France. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions including BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET HER, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American Woman; BET Music Networks - BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET’s growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET around the globe.

About The National Urban League

The National Urban League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment in order to elevate the standard of living in historically underserved urban communities. The National Urban League spearheads the efforts of its 90 local affiliates through the development of programs, public policy research and advocacy, providing direct services that impact and improve the lives of more than 2 million people annually nationwide. Visit https://nul.org/ and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: @NatUrbanLeague.

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