Black Voter Outreach Network of PA

10/23/2026

IMPORTANT! Please read our exclusive interview with Janelle Stelson candidate for PA-10 Congressional Seat.

“In a race this competitive, Black voters in Harrisburg and York can be decisive. If we vote, we can be the deciding voice in this election.

The stakes are plain. Our current representative pushed to overturn Pennsylvania’s 2020 election and voted against restoring the Voting Rights Act. Black Central Pennsylvania deserves better, and we have the votes to get it.”

Two years ago, 5,133 votes decided who would represent the 10th Congressional District. Rep. Scott Perry beat Janelle Stelson 50.6% to 49.4%, the narrowest win of his time in Congress. 5,133 is a number we can picture. It’s a few blocks of Allison Hill, a few congregations in York, and the cousins...

09/28/2026

“The story of how this came together is a story about three Black women who refused to wait for someone else to lead: Beverly Malone, Cheryl Holland Jones, and Rev. Stephanie Atkins, all members of the Black Caucus and its Voter Registration Subcommittee.

"Black women are the loving nurturers and the fierce protectors!" said Beverly Malone, chair of the Black Caucus. "When there's a call to action like the one now, it's our natural reaction to step up and join the fight to right the wrongs being done to Black people and to all marginalized people in our county."

In April, the Supreme Court gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Louisiana v. Callais told Black communities across this country that the maps drawn to silence us don't need much justification anymore, and that the burden of proving our own political power just got heavier.

09/23/2026

The Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act this year. Black Lancaster is answering back.

The Black Caucus of the Lancaster County Democrats and the Intracity Progressive Pastors Association are launching Souls to the Polls, Lancaster, a county wide voter registration drive built church by church.

Kickoff: Bethel AME Church, 450 E. Strawberry St.
Sunday, October 4 · 9:30 AM
Pastor: Rev Stephanie Atkins with guest State Rep. Izzy Smith-Wade-El in attendance for a Civic Sunday!

After service we’ll be registering voters, answering questions, and sharing what you need to know before Election Day.

Next stops are Ebenezer Baptist, Shiloh Baptist, and Brightside Baptist on Sundays 10.11 and 10.18, with dates for each church coming soon.

Pennsylvania’s registration deadline is October 19. Get registered, and bring someone who isn’t. Tell a friend, tell a neighbor. Join us October 4th at Bethel.

09/22/2026

Please check out our September 2026 Horserace Report!

“Forty two days to November 3. The environment has not shifted in direction since August — it has accelerated. Trump's approval hit a new second-term low of 33 percent in Reuters/Ipsos and 32 percent in the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Amherst survey in late August, as the Iran war nears its six-month mark and two Lancaster County residents die in Pennsylvania's largest measles outbreak in three decades. The deaths have produced a national clash between Governor Josh Shapiro and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that has made Lancaster County the epicenter of a public health accountability argument running directly into the November election. Data center-driven electricity rate increases — up 14.6 percent in Pennsylvania over the past year, up 20.6 percent since 2024 — have become what the Capital-Star calls 'the defining issue of the state's 2026 elections.' Both issues land on the voting records and public postures of Scott Perry and every Republican in the PSI portfolio.”

The environment has not shifted in direction since August — it has accelerated. Trump's approval hit a new second-term low of 33 percent in Reuters/Ipsos and 32 percent in the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Amherst survey in late August, as the Iran war nears its six-month mark and two Lancas...

09/08/2026

“Understand what this silence means. Our government — like the country it reflects — has an accepted pain threshold for Black people. Black women's unemployment sits below it. This is a level of suffering our neighbors are comfortable watching.”

Since January 2025, more than 600,000 Black women have been pushed out of the labor market. Not between jobs. Pushed out. Gone from the count. In February, Black women's unemployment hit 7.1% — up 1.7 points since this administration took office. By July the rate "fell" to 5.7% and some c

08/27/2026

197 measles cases in Lancaster County. That’s nearly half of every case in Pennsylvania this year.

What the state’s numbers say as of August 26:
• 424 cases statewide, 94 of them in the last 7 days
• 73 people hospitalized. 2 dead.
• 1 in 3 cases are kids under 18
• 0% of the people who got sick were fully vaccinated

Measles is not just a rash. It stays in the air for 2 hours after a sick person leaves the room. It spreads 4 days before symptoms even show. It can cause pneumonia, brain swelling, and death. Children under 5, adults over 20, pregnant women, and anyone with a weakened immune system get hit hardest.

Protect yourself and your people:

1. Check your MMR status. Two doses is 97% protection, usually for life. Not sure? Call your doctor or the PA Department of Health at 877-774-4748.
2. Make sure your kids have both doses. First at 12 and 15 months, second at 4 to 6 years. Local officials are allowing earlier vaccination for children in Lancaster County. Check with your healthcare provider about the right time for your kid to receive the vaccine.
3. If you get a high fever, cough, runny nose, and red watery eyes, call your provider BEFORE you walk in. Don’t carry it into a waiting room.

We take care of each other. That means getting the facts, checking on your elders and your little ones, and sharing this.

Full PA Department of Health fact sheet is linked in the comments. Swipe through for what you need to know.

— Black Voter Outreach Network of Pennsylvania

08/23/2026

Here is our year end push! Here is a list of what The Black Voter Outreach Network is doing to end the year.

1. Black Self-Determination in Lancaster

We’re registering 400 new Black voters in Lancaster County in coalition with the Democratic Black Caucus and community partners. The committee has already started and this initiative has taken off. This isn’t just about the ballot. We are building the foundation of a new Black Alliance in Lancaster County. This is our answer to Louisiana v. Callais. Black folks are not sitting this one out.

We need volunteers! admin, communications, event support. And more than that, we need Black Lancastrians together: thinking together, working together.

2. Fighting Poverty Now

SNAP and Medicaid cuts are coming for our neighbors. We are partnering with Put People First and the Homelessness Union on mutual aid and clinics; medical equipment and more. This is organizing, not charity. We are not lost. There is something you can do. We have a moral obligation to our neighbors, and we’re acting on it.

3. Political Education for Black Liberation

This is daily work that we do right now. Teaching the history of Black freedom fighters and building anti-racist consciousness through BVON’s site, social media, lectures, and trainings. If your org needs this, let us know because this is a part of our daily liberation and political work.

Please reach out or comment “Info” in the comments for further information.

07/07/2026

A timely summer camp. Today our anti racist summer campers examined the the statement “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…” Make sure you and the kids make it to summer camp this year. There are six more sessions. All on zoom. Every Tuesday at 6:30PM.

07/06/2026

Hey All!

Session 1 was amazing. We learned about the great big lie. The difference between a segregationist, an assimilationist, and an anti racist. We will be back at it again tomorrow night for Anti Racist Summer Camp 2026. Click the link below to get the registration details!

Week 2 will focus on “When Words and Actions Don’t Match”

We will be engaging in on the Flawed Founding Fathers. A timely message after the 4th of July. I hope to see you all there tomorrow at 6:30 PM on zoom!

Anti-Racist Summer Camp 2026 is an 8-week virtual summer series from the Black Voter Outreach Network of PA built around Stamped (For Kids) by Jason Reynolds and Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, adapted by Sonja Cherry-Paul. Join us on Tuesdays this summer as we create a welcoming space for young people and fam

06/29/2026

Come Join us tomorrow! We start our 8 week Anti Racist Virtual Summer Camp. Sign up to register in the link below. We look forward to seeing you all there.

Anti-Racist Summer Camp 2026 is an 8-week virtual summer series from the Black Voter Outreach Network of PA built around Stamped (For Kids) by Jason Reynolds and Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, adapted by Sonja Cherry-Paul. Join us on Tuesdays this summer as we create a welcoming space for young people and fam