Hold Them Accountable: National Coalition on Black Civic Participation Measuring The Movement Update

Roland Martin hosted the Rev. Al Sharpton’s “Measuring the Movement” town hall meeting earlier this year, where leaders at the town hall made commitments and reported their progress. This week, we heard from Melanie Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation.

MR. MARTIN:  Now, if you know me at all, you know I’m not fond of meeting, talking and dispersing.  I believe in meeting, talking and acting, so when I hosted the Rev. Al Sharpton’s “Measuring the Movement” town hall meeting earlier this year, we got leaders at the town hall to make commitments and report back to us periodically with their progress.  This week, we heard from Melanie Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation.  At the town hall meeting, here’s what she had to say.

[VIDEO CLIP.]

MS. MELANIE CAMPBELL:  Because we know this budget fight is going to – is very serious, we’re going to all – with my colleagues here and others – continue to fight with – this budget for 2012, ‘cause that’s going to be a real fight; continue to fight, with labor and others on what’s going on in Wisconsin and Ohio and other places and across this country.  When it comes to public workers, we’re in the city of New York.  We know this fight and that – and we have to make sure that those jobs are not lost.

[END OF VIDEO.]

MR. MARTIN:  Well, we spoke to Melanie, and she says, quote:  “Specifically, our National Coalition on Black Civic Participation state affiliate in Ohio, the Ohio Unity Coalition, has been helping to lead the fight to repeal SB-50 an anti-collective bargaining measure, as well as HB-194, which is an attack on voting rights.  The Ohio Unity Coalition, as part of We Are Ohio, the coalition leading the repeal effort, collected nearly six times the signatures needed – more than a million extra signatures to allow Ohio voters to have the opportunity to repeal SB-5 on the November 2011 ballot.  The Ohio Unity Coalition also partnered with Fair Elections Ohio, a coalition of concerned citizens and organizations, and submitted 318,460 signatures to repeal HB-1940 more than needed to put the bill on the November 2012 ballot and Judith Browne-Dianis, co-director of the Advancement Project stopping the immediate voting disenfranchisement of our community.”