Washington, D.C. (August 24, 2020) – Today, the Black Economic Alliance (BEA), a nonpartisan group of Black executives and business leaders, announced a new partnership with Education Reform Now Advocacy (ERNA) to engage, educate, and turn out Black voters in the 2020 election.

“The Black Economic Alliance is proud to partner with ERNA to focus on turning out Black voters in battleground states. There is an inextricable link between educational equity and economic stability. Black families have been blocked from the opportunity to build generational wealth and increasing access to educational opportunity is crucial to helping Black people achieve economic mobility,” said BEA Executive Director David Clunie. “An educated constituency votes. In a year when it’s unclear if it will be safe to vote in person, we must use every tool at our disposal to make sure voters are well informed. According to Census figures, only 11% of Black voters cast their ballots by mail in 2018. We must engage and educate Black voters about the various ways they can vote, including voting by mail, no-excuse absentee voting, and early voting where those respective options are available. The stakes are higher than ever, which is why it’s incumbent on partnerships like this to increase our capacity to reach more voters.”

ERNA is a nonprofit partner of Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) that supports DFER’s political advocacy work. DFER President Shavar Jeffries said, “Our work of expanding educational opportunity for Black people is designed, in part, to bring about greater economic security and justice for Black families. We therefore fully embrace BEA’s mission and are proud to partner with BEA to ensure that the voices of Black voters are heard in the November election. At a time that many are working overtime to suppress ballot access for voters of color, we are committed to ensuring that Black voters have the tools and knowledge to ensure their ballots are cast and counted.”