Why Should We Care About Election Protection?

Troy Jackson is joined by Rev. Traci Blackmon to discuss election protection, what it is and why it matters. They reflect on the importance of voting access and what a healthy, faithful culture of civic participation would look like in our communities. Each August, we focus on civic engagement as a CCDA Family. Learn more about engaging with your local government at ccda.org/civic [https://ccda.org/justice-initiatives/civic/]. Learn more about The Faithful Witness Campaign at faithfulwitness.us [http://faithfulwitness.us/]. The Rev. Traci Blackmon is the former associate general minister of justice and local church ministries for the United Church of Christ, a position she held for eight years. She earned a bachelor of science in nursing from Birmingham-Southern College and a master of divinity degree from Eden Theological Seminary. Blackmon's work focuses on communal resistance to systemic injustice through the redemptive power of love. Her response in Ferguson, Missouri, to the killing of Michael Brown resulted in national and international recognition. She was appointed to the Ferguson Commission by Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon and to the President's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships by President Barack Obama. She currently serves on the board of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference and was named among 15 "Faith Leaders to Watch" in 2020 by the Center for American Progress. Learn more about Rev. Blackmon and her work at faithoutloud.org [https://www.faithoutloud.org/]. Community organizer, pastor, leader and writer, Troy Jackson, has been with UNDIVIDED since its founding. He is a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary and earned his PH.D in U.S. history from the University of Kentucky. Troy's book Becoming King: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Making of a National Leader (The University Press of Kentucky, 2008) explores the critical role the grassroots Montgomery Movement played in the development of Dr. King. His other publications include his work as an editor on The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr. Volume VI: Advocate of the Social Gospel (September 1948-March 1963) (University of California Press, 2007). With their children grown, Troy and his wife moved to a cabin outside of Cincinnati, OH, with their two dogs, Pip and Pico. Learn more about Troy and UNDIVIDED at undivided.us [http://undivided.us/]. Learn more about CCDA and how you can get involved at ccda.org [http://ccda.org/]. Connect with CCDA on Instagram [http://www.instagram.com/iamccda], Twitter [http://www.twitter.com/iamccda], Facebook [http://www.facebook.com/iamccda], and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/christian-community-development-association-ccda-/]. Follow CCDA on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/user/iamccda].