South Bend community leaders are asking churches to encourage their congregants to get out and vote early on Sunday, Nov. 1, just two days before Election Day.
South Bend Common Council President Karen White said "Super Sunday" started about three years ago, when she began researching how churches served as a force for change in communities of color during the Civil Rights Movement.
“We actually began to focus on churches to ensure that there would be no one in their congregation that, one, had not voted and, two, did not have transportation to do so,” White said.
That transportation will be provided by Lisa De’Berry, who has been offering free rides to the polls in what she calls her “Soul Van.”
A number of other community organizations are sponsoring Super Sunday, including Black Lives Matter - South Bend, the St. Joseph County African American Democratic Coalition and the Martin Luther King Center Senior Men’s Club.
White said that the variety of support will help galvanize congregations of color on Sunday.
“We may have different viewpoints, but I think that’s the value of individuals coming together to ensure that our residents understand the importance of voting,” White said.
“Super Sunday” get-out-the-vote efforts will take place Sunday, Nov. 1, from 1-4 p.m.
Contact Gemma atgdicarlo@wvpe.orgor follow her on Twitter at@gemma_dicarlo
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