Black Ministers Want To Get "Souls To The Polls" For Mayoral Election
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A coalition of black churches in Chicago has launched a campaign to engage their congregations, and get people to vote in next month's mayoral election.
A handful of ministers launched the "Souls to the Polls" initiative Wednesday morning at Quinn Chapel AME Church at 24th and Wabash.
"One of the ways to guarantee that black communities and concerns are addressed is if African-Americans get out to the polls and vote," said Rev. Marilyn Pagán-Banks, an ordained minister with the United Church of Christ.
Banks and other ministers were making a big push for early voting, which starts Feb. 9 in Chicago.
"We want African-American voters and working families," she said.
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The ministers said they're not endorsing any candidate for mayor, but it was pretty clear they're looking for a change on the Fifth Floor at City Hall. The ministers said their top issues are mass incarceration, unemployment, neighborhood investment, school closings, and violence.
"If you cherish souls, then get out to the polls," said Rev. Cy Fields, pastor of New Landmark Missionary Baptist Church. "If we care about souls, we'll get souls to the polls, because too many souls are dying early."
The ministers were asking churches to literally hop on the "Souls to the Polls" bus, and take people to vote early on Sunday, Feb. 15, when five regional sites will have early voting available:
• The Chicago Board of Elections, 69 W. Washington St.,
• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, 4314 S. Cottage Grove Av.,
• Mount Greenwood Park, 3721 W. 111th St.,
• West Side Learning Center, 4624 W. Madison St.
• Welles Park, 2333 W. Sunnyside Av.
All 50 wards in Chicago have an early voting facility open six days a week between Feb. 9 and Feb. 21. For a list all of early voting sites in Chicago, click here.
