October 17, 2020—On Saturday, October 24, 2020 a cohort of 13 Haitian-American organizations from 13 states will host a national event, “Rally the Vote,” focused on mobilizing Haitian-American voters in

the states of California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New-Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island, all of which have sizable concentrations of Haitian American Diaspora.

 At 10 am, virtual conference will launch the non-partisan rallies, which will begin at 2 pm in designated locations. Each rally will include delegations of community leaders, voters and elected officials traveling from designated starting points to the nearest voting precincts.

 Leading the coordination of this non-partisan effort, is Haitian American Voter Empowerment Coalition (HAVE), a Florida based organization focused on engaging Haitian-American voters across the United States, the United Front of the Haitian Diaspora, and the Haitian Americans United with the support of nine community organizations and members of other immigrant communities.

 “The theme of this national event is, “Vote your Interest, Vote Respect,” which is essentially a call to Haitian Americans across the United States to vote in their best interests. While we are in the midst of a pandemic, we cannot neglect our civic duties and we must continue to organize ourselves to ensure that that our community turns out to vote,” states Vanessa Joseph, Chairwoman of HAVE.

 Traditionally, outreach to Haitian American voters has relied on in-person engagement.  However, with the issues presented by COVID-19, the shift towards social media and ongoing challenges with sufficient language access poses a significant threat to strong voter turnout in the upcoming election. “Rally the Vote” seeks to create an in-person experience that allows Haitian Americans to come together, while still taking all necessary precautions in the midst of the pandemic. The rallies will limit the number of participants and adhere to social distancing and public health guidelines regarding COVID-19.

 For information on the local rallies please contact the numbers in the attached

Media Contacts:

305-962-2789

301-728-6534

Participating States and contacts:

 Participating partners:

California: Haitian Bridge Alliance - 917-496-2248

Connecticut: (Haitian American Professionals of Connecticut (HAPAC): 203-219-2908

Florida: Haitian American Voter Empowerment (HAVE); 305-962-2789

Georgia: Haitian American Chamber of Commerce : 404-735-2519

Illinois:  Congress to Fortify Haiti : 312-310-4357

Massachusetts: Haitian Americans United (HAU); 617-799-7009

Michigan: Haitian Network Group of Detroit – (HNGD): 313-268-9252

New Hampshire: Haitian Community Center of NH: 603-234-9542

New Jersey: National Alliance for the Advancement of Haitian Professionals: 347-772-8723

New York : The Haitian Roundtable ; 917-617-4736

New - Philadelphia: Haitian-Americans United for Change: 215-681-8243

Rhode Island: New Bridges for Haitian Success - NB4HS: 401-999-5541

Washington DC : United Front of the Haitian Diaspora; 301-728-6534

Haitian Renewal Alliance: 703-786-9772