The Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus ended its statewide campaign to register African- American voters at A.W. Mumford during Saturday’s Southern-South Dakota football game. Members and staff of the LLBC had been traveling around the state since August to register potential voters.
“We felt it was very important to show our presence around the state and let everyone know just how important their votes really are,” said Suchitra Sapathi, executive director of the LLBC. “It encourages voters when they see their local leaders actively participating in the political process and assures them that their representatives are truly working hard to serve them.”
The Caucus visited different neighborhoods and communities in Monroe, Shreveport, Grambling, Lafayette, Alexandria and New Orleans. They also visited Louisiana State University before coming to Southern.
“The turnout was great in all the cities we visited,” said Shantellie Bingham, assistant director of the LLBC. “At LSU, we registered about 70 students, both black and white within our first two hours of being on campus.”
The LLBC passed out prizes and T-shirts at the Southern University football game as they attempted to register voters.
The organization believes that the Southern University student population plays a very important role in the voting process.
“There are more students enrolled at Southern than there are members in the district where the university is located,” Sapathi said. “If every student voted, they would have enough power to elect any individual they wanted into office.”
The Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus was founded in 1977 by ten black legislators in Louisiana government.
Today, it is composed of all the black members of the Louisiana House of Representatives and Senate.
It’s mission and goal is to raise the quality of life for individuals living in impoverished Louisiana communities through educational and economic development initiatives.
