PRESS RELEASE Of interest to editors and journalists covering: Business/Finance, Politics, Law, Black/Urban, Non-profit news Over 100 Influential Black Organizations Join Forces for Voter Empowerment Campaign Results of Issues Poll Released During Launch of Unity 04 WASHINGTON, DC - Jan 14, 2004 /Send2Press Newswire/ -- A coalition of political, business, and civic organizations launched the Unity 04 Civic Engagement and Voter Empowerment Campaign (Unity 04), during a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, DC last week. The coalition also released the results of an issues poll measuring opinions about the social and economic status of Black Americans over the past three years. A non-partisan initiative harnessing the power of over 100 influential Black organizations, Unity 04 is determined to increase Black voter turnout and make sure each vote is counted on Election Day. Participating organizations in the campaign represent a membership base of close to 15 million. "We've identified the issues and developed a plan to maximize the resources of the participating organizations. We must address the critical issues facing Black America at the national, state and local levels. Unity 04 is about empowerment," said Marc Morial, president of National Urban League. The poll, conducted by Dr. Silas Lee of Dr. Silas Lee & Associates, found that Black American voters feel a prevailing sense of despair that jobs, public education, health care, availability of affordable housing and civil liberties have gotten worse over the past three years. There are 15 million registered Black voters and about 9 million unregistered. Unity 04s goal is to register one million new voters and increase Black voter turnout five percent in targeted states. Among the target states are Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and South Carolina, all of which have a Black voting age population that can influence the outcome of a close election. Unity 04 partners have longstanding relationships and credibility in the Black community. They include the National Urban League, 100 Black Men of America, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, UniverSoul Circus, and the National Pan Hellenic Council of Presidents, an organization that unites nine Greek fraternities and sororities. Media partners like The Tom Joyner Morning Show and American Urban Radio Network, will help to disseminate the message to over 30 million listeners across the country. More info at http://www.bigvote.org. Details: http://www.bigvote.org/content2004/unitylaunch.htm Poll: www.bigvote.org/content2004/black_issues_poll.htm or email edmedia@dogonvillage.com. See panel discussion on c-span.org MEDIA CONTACT: Edrea Davis Of National Coalition On Black Civic Participation +1-818-613.9521 or +1-818-569-3045 edmedia@dogonvillage.com # # # [ source of news = National Coalition On Black Civic Participation] ref: http://www.send2press.com/2archive/2004/pr_04_0114-unity04.txt http://www.send2press.com/2archivePDF/pr_04_0114-unity04.pdf --------------------------------------------------------------------------- *IMPORTANT NOTE TO MEDIA: to reach the organization releasing this news, please contact: edmedia@dogonvillage.com If used for publication, please send specimen copy. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- S2PPRN-NP//4c/ DC / Washington, D.C. / Copr. (c) 2004 Send2Press. This release was issued on behalf of the above organization by Send2Press(tm), a unit of Neotrope(R). http://www.Send2Press.com .