For More Information, Contact Kim Propeack at 301-379-7461

- Pledge of Unity to be Released -

What:  Press Conference to Launch Campaign

When:  Monday, August 7, at 10:30

Where: Smithfield School Museum ,

             811 E. Randolph Road

             Silver Spring , MD

Who:    Organizations listed below

Highlighting the numeric and political advantages of a combined agenda, dozens of organizations representing African-American, Latino, and African and Asian Pacific American communities will come together this Monday to release a Pledge of Unity and release plans for combined voter outreach and empowerment efforts.

"It is critical that African-Americans, Latinos, Africans, and Asian-Americans get out to vote, said Henry Hailstock, President of the Montgomery County Chapter of the NAACP. “We have some very important elections in the County and in Maryland , and it is necessary for candidates to know that communities of color are watching and are mobilizing," said Mr. Hailstock.

In many ways, Montgomery County Maryland is the perfect experiment to explore the benefits of cross-community collaboration because only together do communities of color form a majority of the county’s population.  In the past twenty years, the Asian Pacific American community in the County has quadrupled to 11.3 percent of the population.  The County is home to more than half of the state’s Latino community (11.5 percent of the county population).  African-Americans compose the largest minority population of the County at 15%.  These statistics are based on 2000 Census figures, a notorious undercount of minority communities.  

At Monday’s press conference, representatives of communities of color will make remarks including about the upcoming election, the Pledge of Unity will be presented, and a calendar of coordinated voter outreach will be released.  More than one hundred leaders will be in attendance.

Partial List of Participating Groups: African Peoples Action Committee, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center, Black Ministers Conference of Montgomery County, Black Ministers Conference of Montgomery County, CASA of Maryland, Chinese Culture and Community Service Center, Continental African Committee, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated, Latino Health Initiative Steering Committee, Montgomery County Branch of the NAACP, Montgomery County Alliance of Black School Educators, Montgomery County Muslim Council, Mwananthi Conference, National Capital Immigration Coalition, Smithfield School Museum, Theta Omega Omega Chapter.