BE READY FOR THE NOVEMBER 4TH PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CIVIC VOTER EDUCATION FORUM SCHEDULED FOR AUGUST 4, 2012

Additional Forums Planned Around the County Westchester County, NY African American Men of Westchester, Inc. (AAMW) and Nepperhan Community Center, partnering with civic organizations from around Westchester County are working together to create a voter registration and education forum for residents. The Westchester Civic and Voter Education Advocacy Committee are planning a forum to be held on Saturday, August 4th from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm at Riverside High School, 565 Warburton Avenue, Yonkers. Registration is at 9:30 am. Forum is free and open to the public and Continental breakfast and lunch will be served. Keynote speaker for the forum is Reverend Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson, Senior Pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Mt. Vernon and Chairman of the Board of National Action Network. Moderator is Gail Wright Sirmans, Esq. a civil rights lawyer and scholar specializing in civil rights, constitutional, and labor and employment law. Ms. Sirmans is a former counsel with the NAACP Legal Fund and former Chair of the New York State Bar Civil Rights Committee. Scheduled panelists are Leroy Gadsden, Esq. Chair of the NAACP Legal Redress Committee and President of the Jamaica, Queens chapter of the NAACP, Charles Barnett, Coordinator for SNUG Yonkers (SNUG is guns spelled backwards), a movement to reduce guns, gang violence and encourage youth to vote), and Tracey Givens-Hunter, Esq. New York Civil Liberties Union Board Member and former President of the Southern Dutchess NAACP. Topics of discussion for the panelists will be; how to make your voice heard and count, issues of concern, how to challenge voting fraud , barriers to voting including the rights of the formerly incarcerated. The committee seeks to help residents understand how their vote counts and why it is important to vote. A voting machine will be available for demonstration purposes, voter registration materials will be distributed by the Westchester Board of Elections, as well as calendars to help attendees keep track of important dates including deadlines to register and dates of primaries among others. Contact information for the Board of Elections and the League of Women Voters will also be made available. Participating organizations are the African American Men of Westchester, Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Zeta Nu and Pi Iota Omega Chapters, Beta Alpha Alpha Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Building Community Bridges, C&K Productions, Calvary Baptist Church, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, Community Voices Heard Action, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. - Westchester Alumnae, Mt. Hope AME Zion Church, NAACP Chapters of Greenburg/White Plains, Port Chester/Rye and Yonkers, Nepperhan Community Center, Mt. Vernon Youth Shelter, Westchester Childrens Association, Pentecost Consistory No. 98, MLK Westchester Nonviolence Institute, and Westchester Board of Elections.. Program sponsors are Con Edison, Entergy, and Key Bank. To register please visit www.aamw.com <http://www.aamw.com/> , or call AAMW at 914-9499463, or Monique Clarke at Nepperhan Community Center at 914-965-0203.