National Voter Registration day takes place on September 22. where there is a nationwide push to get individuals registered for the General Elections. DTLR took this time to not only activate on the day but the entire week, gearing things up that Saturday before!
In Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Miami and Virginia, the DTLR Regional Outreach Managers turned stores into voter registration hubs. As customers shopped, they were able to visit the "Dare To Vote" hub in the store to get registered, update their status, and get educated on upcoming legislations for their community. We also partnered with the ladies of The Eastern Region of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc to assist with registering customers in our Maryland stores.
Store employees led by example by being the first to register/update at the hub; partner organizations such as RAKE in Cleveland and 99 Jamz, NAACP and TRU Foundation in Atlanta, and The Arc of Justice in Miami lent their support with volunteers and educational materials. The team then visited neighboring barbershops and bodegas to educate and register.
In Philadelphia the team had a different approach....in front of the ' Wall of Hope', a mural painted by local artists on the closed doors of a looted 52nd street store, the sidewalk was littered with music, QR codes, registration forms, legislation sheets and the FUTURE! 20 youth volunteers joined the DTLR Outreach team to canvas the block getting people registered and distributing voter qualification FAQs.
This year is a MAJOR election year for the City of Philadelphia, as the legislations on their ballot are centered around police reform/de-escalation training and putting the power back into the community to police their neighborhoods.
By empowering the youth volunteers with these resources, they in turned empowered their community by distributing education material about the legislations, thus putting further emphasis on why it is important to use our voice.
During the entire week the Community Outreach team was out activating in under privileged communities, boosting the morale around this years election.
To cap off the week, DTLR combined two of its outreach pillars to bring awareness to the community.
On Friday, September 25, runners and bicycle groups gathered in Baltimore, Atlanta and Miami to go on a hike through their respective cities to promote voter registration and education. Each location had between 100-250 runners and riders, along with DTLR staff, the Eastern Region of Delta Sigma Theta Inc. and other partner organizations to take care of voter registration before the groups took off.
Run, Ride and Register Baltimore
Ride and Register Atlanta
Ride and Register Miami