Hip Hop Caucus highlights success of 2024 Respect my Vote! Campaign

Respect My Vote!, the largest and longest-running hip-hop voter mobilization effort surpassed its initial goal of 25,000 voter registrations by securing over 50,000 pledges and 67,000 registrations through civically engaging activities, music, and events.

Highlights

Two months ago, Hip Hop Caucus announced the return of their nonpartisan award-winning Respect My Vote! Campaign with the goal of organizing voters in communities of color ahead of the 2024 presidential election. This year’s campaign proved to be a success and reached new heights as it was able to surpass voter registration and advocacy goals across Gen Z voters, voters of color, and returning citizens.

Eight states targeted

Embarking on a mission to mobilize and educate voters across the nation, the Respect My Vote! campaign targeted eight states, including Pennsylvania, Texas, Michigan, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Georgia, and Louisiana to educate communities on civil rights, economic, reproductive, and environmental issues and secured over 67,000 voter registrations and over 50,000 pledges. This year’s campaign also included a special focus on educating returning citizens – people who have been previously incarcerated or convicted of a felony, on their eligibility to vote with their innovative voting registration tool.

Respect my Vote! tour

The Respect my Vote! tour kicked off with an event in commemoration of the 19th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, where they also launched their inaugural ‘Artivist Class of 2024’ featuring GRAMMY-nominated recording artist “Tank” from Tank and the Bangas who merged activism with their craft to educate people about political and social issues and mobilize people to vote.

Environmental advocacy

To support their environmental advocacy, Respect My Vote! produced the virtual We Shall Breathe Summit which drove voter pledges by showcasing the interconnected struggles for climate justice, economic justice, and voting rights through the perspectives of Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities in the U.S. South and the Global South. Additionally, Respect My Vote teamed up with Grammy award nominee hip hop duo Earthgang and the Earthgang Foundation to host “Urban Beats & Global Heat: Voting for Green Futures” to highlight the crucial intersection of climate action and voting.

Howard University

Additionally, Hip Hop Caucus civically engaged young voters by celebrating their 20-year anniversary of impact events at Howard University and across DC, using the voices of impactful cultural and political leaders like Claudia Jordan and DC Mayor Muriel Bowser to highlight the Hip Hop Caucus’s success of addressing racial, climate and economic justice, and to celebrate the political and cultural impact of hip-hop. The Respect My Vote! campaign hosted a block party for Howard students, with music from DJ Akademiks, free giveaways, and voter registration information as well as a 20th-anniversary concert featuring music performances by PINKYTHARAPPER, Alantra, June, and more.

Hip Hop Caucus

The RMV! campaign used the empowering vehicle that is hip hop and the influence of celebrity and music to encourage people to make their voices heard and count in this presidential election with their Respect My Vote! Cypher and PSA which included Big Freedia, Lil Scrappy, Mia X, and more.

Lastly, Respect My Vote! tour concluded with Hip Hop Caucus participating in Support+Feed’s Overheated event headlined by Billie Elish which included conversations about important topics from activists, artists, organizations, and thought leaders.

Respect my Vote! tour success

As a result of the engaging events that highlighted issues that burden people of color, the Respect My Vote! campaign proved to be a success in this presidential election. By using the voices and power of talented and influential individuals and celebrities, they were able to encourage communities to not remain silent and powerless.

The events showcased the issues that people of color disproportionately face and the ways in which they are ignored and fueled them to demand respect. They also helped mobilize people of color to the voting booths and changed their futures by making their voices heard through education and gifts of hip-hop, music, and advocacy.