BALTIMORE — With less than 3 weeks until the polls close, leaders in Baltimore City are in the community re-emphasizing the importance of voting specifically for Black voters, and on Friday they got some celebrity help to get the word out.
“Local elections have become a priority, they have always been a priority, and it was helpful for me to learn that as well, just how important it is that on a local level that is really going to affect your day-to-day life," says Michael Ealy.
Michael Ealy, alongside Democratic leaders in Baltimore, took a tour of local barbershops to have a conversation about the importance of voting in the upcoming election.
After the discussion, WMAR caught up with a few young voters who will be voting for the first time.
“To see people that are actually bringing up reasonable arguments that could sway somebody who is undecided like I previously was to ultimately make a decision," says
Malcolm Drewery, an associate professor at Morgan State, says it is vital to make sure voters, specifically Black voters feel like the issues they care about matter.
“Black males feel invisible. They are not getting any attention, their voices are not being heard by the politicians or even those neighborhood or community organizers a lot of times. So, I think it's really important that their voice is heard. Meet them where they are, like come out to these different events," says Drewery.
Ealy says the narrative that Black people don’t vote is flawed.
“The more that that narrative is perpetuated, the more it may actually become true. So, it's like to me we need to perpetuate a narrative that more of us are engaged, that more of us are building Black political power," says Michael Ealy.
Voter Tevon Chapman agrees and is eager to vote in this election.
“We have a lot of things that we want to change in the community, but you can’t do anything if you don’t vote, and having that notion that we don’t vote, basically saying that we’re good where we’re at, but we're trying to get things in motion," says Chapman.
Ealy says he is happy to visit his home state, helping in any way he can.
“I love being in my home state. I love being able to speak on behalf of my home state, even though I don’t live here, I still care what’s going on.”
