A Philip Randolph Educational Fund

DURING THE CURRENT REPORTING PERIOD, APREF USED ITS NETWORK OF LOCAL AFFILIATES TO RUN ON THE GROUND CAMPAIGNS TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO PARTICIPATE IN ELECTIONS.

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT GRANTS OUR VOTE IS OUR VOICE. APREF AND IT'S SISTER ORGANIZATION APRI HAS GROWN ONE OF THE MOST IMPRESSIVE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS IN THE NATION THAT IS UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO REACH PEOPLE WHERE THEY LIVE AND WORK. VIA THIS NETWORK MILLIONS OF VOTERS ACROSS THE NATION HAVE BEEN EDUCATED AND TURNED OUT FOR SUPPORT OF INITIATIVES, WORKING IN VIRTUALLY EVERY CITY WITH A SIZABLE BLACK POPULATION. BY ENCOURAGING CIVIC ENGAGEMENT ON THE PART OF BLACK VOTERS, APREF ADVANCES ISSUES THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO LABOR, WORKING FAMILIES, AND THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE. ORGANIZING, EDUCATING AND MOBILIZING GRASSROOTS OPERATIONS AROUND VOTER REGISTRATION AND VOTER TURNOUT, ALONG WITH THE FIGHT AGAINST VOTER SUPPRESSION ARE THE VEHICLES DRIVING THE GOALS OF APREF'S MISSION.FUNDING FOR APEF'S CIVIC ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL IS ALMOST TOTALLY FOR DIRECT CIVIC ENGAGEMENT IN THE FIELD ACROSS SELECTED TARGET STATES AND COMMUNITIES. SPECIFICALLY, IN 2020 THESE ACTIVITIES INCLUDED:1. CONVENING VIRTUAL EVENTS, WEBINARS, AND IN-DEPTH TRAINING SESSIONS DURING REGIONAL AND LOCAL CHAPTER EVENTS TO EQUIP MEMBERS WITH THE TOOLS THEY NEED TO BUILD CAPACITY FOR PARTICIPATING IN 2020 GOTV EFFORTS.2. PROVIDING ONGOING TRAININGS FOR APRI CHAPTERS' PROGRAM VOLUNTEERS AND STAFF; PRODUCING AND DISSEMINATING COLLATERAL ITEMS (T-SHIRTS, FLIERS, POSTERS, MASKS, ETC.)3. DEVELOPING AND CONDUCTING A VOTER REGISTRATION CAMPAIGN ALIGNED WITH NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION DAYSEPTEMBER 20, 2020.4. MOBILIZING COMMUNITIES AROUND FAIR-ELECTION ADVOCACY IN ORDER TO REMOVE BARRIERS TO REGISTRATION AND VOTING, PARTICULARLY THOSE DISENFRANCHISING UNDERREPRESENTED AND MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES.

RACIAL JUSTICEAT THE ONSET OF THE 2020 COVID-19 PANDEMIC, APREF'S FOCUS WAS TO AMPLIFY THE SYSTEMIC RACISM THAT EXPOSED DISPARITIES IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR WHICH WERE ALREADY ADVERSELY IMPACTED BY FOOD DESERTS, FINANCIAL DESERTS, INADEQUATE HEALTHCARE SERVICES, AND CRIPPLED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS. INSUFFICIENT ACCESS TO AND AFFORDABILITY OF BROADBAND/INTERNET SERVICES EXPANDED THE RACIAL DIVIDE, AND STIFLED THE ABILITY FOR OUR COMMUNITIES TO WORK AND LEARN IN A VIRTUAL/REMOTE ENVIRONMENT. DISPROPORTIONATE DISTRIBUTION OF SURVIVAL TOOLS AND INFORMATION, SUCH AS PPE, FOOD AND WATER, AND TRANSPORTATION SERVICES TO VACCINATION LOCATIONS MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR FAMILIES TO RECEIVE THE CARE THEY NEEDED AND WERE LEFT SEVERELY DEVASTATED BY THE EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC.THE APREF ADDRESSED THESE ISSUES BY BOOSTING ITS 2020 GOTV EFFORTS TO INCORPORATE THE DISTRIBUTION OF MASKS, FOOD AND WATER, ALONG WITH THEIR VOTER EDUCATION AND VOTER REGISTRATION ACTIVITIES. IN ADDITION, APRI MEMBERS WERE PROVIDED WITH TABLETS TO HELP THE COMMUNITY TO COMPLETE THEIR CENSUS FORMS, TO SIGN UP FOR COVID-19 VACCINATIONS, AND TO LOCATE HEALTHCARE AND OTHER NEEDED SERVICES. OUR GOTV EFFORT WAS TOTALLY FOCUSED ON VOTER EDUCATION AND THE POWER OF THE VOTE AS THE MOST EFFECTIVE MEANS TO CLOSE THE RACIAL DIVIDE.

HEALTH CARE LITERACY AND ACCESSFOR MORE THAN 12 YEARS, APREF'S ORGANIZATIONAL FOCUS HAS BEEN ON HIGHLIGHTING HEALTH CARE DISPARITIES IN THE MINORITY COMMUNITIES WITH PARTICULAR FOCUS ON AFRICAN AMERICANS. ONE OF THE MOST GLARING AND DESPAIRING ISSUES FACED BY MANY MINORITIES, IN PARTICULAR AFRICAN AMERICANS, HAS BEEN RACE-BASED DISPARITIES IN HEALTH AND HEALTHCARE SERVICES. APREF SEEKS TO ELIMINATE RACIAL DISPARITIES IN HEALTHCARE BY ADVOCATING FOR POLICIES AND LEGISLATION WHICH SUPPORT EQUAL ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE SERVICES FOR ALL AMERICANS, AND BY PROVIDING EDUCATION ON ACCESS TO HEALTH INSURANCE. TO ADDRESS THESE DISPARITIES, AND TO PROVIDE A FORUM TO MOBILIZE OUR COMMUNITIES AROUND HEALTHCARE ISSUES, APREF'S SISTER ORGANIZATION, APRI, FEATURES A HEALTHCARE SYMPOSIUM DURING ITS ANNUAL NATIONAL EDUCATION CONFERENCE. THIS SYMPOSIUM FEATURES SPECIAL FORUMS ON SOLUTIONS FOR ADDRESSING HEALTH NEEDS, ALONG WITH TRAINING TRACKS ON OBESITY, HEART DISEASE AND DIABETES IN A FORMAT WHICH ENCOURAGES TAKING A PRO-ACTIVE APPROACH TO IMPROVING HEALTH CONCERNS. WHEN POSSIBLE, THE CONFERENCE PRESENTS HEALTH SCREENING AND EXHIBITS COVERING ALL ASPECTS OF HEALTH FROM: HIV/AIDS SCREENING & COUNSELING, DIABETES, GLAUCOMA, BMI, BLOOD PRESSURE AND CARDIOVASCULAR SCREENINGS, AND MENTAL HEALTH. DURING 2020, THE NATIONAL EDUCATION CONFERENCE WAS CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19. HOWEVER, APREF WAS ABLE TO ADJUST ITS TRAINING PROGRAM FOR HEALTHCARE LITERACY BY EMPLOYING VIRTUAL TRAINING SESSIONS THROUGH ZOOM AND OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS. IN ADDITION, HEALTHCARE LITERACY INFORMATION WAS INCLUDED WITHIN THE PLANS FOR THE 2020 CIVIC ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM WHERE APRI MEMBERS WERE PROVIDED TABLETS TO ASSIST THE COMMUNITY IN LOCATING COVID-19 VACCINATION SITES, IN ADDITION TO DETERMINING THEIR VOTER REGISTRATION STATUS. APRI MEMBERS WERE ALSO PROVIDED WITH PPE EQUIPMENT (MASKS AND SANITIZERS) TO DISTRIBUTE TO HARD TO REACH COMMUNITIES. APREF BELIEVES THAT THE RIGHT TO AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE HEALTHCARE IS TANTAMOUNT TO THE CIVIL, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RIGHTS AFFORDED TO ALL AMERICANS, AND THEREFORE REMAINS A VITAL PART OF THE CONVERSATION IN OUR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT WORK.

VOTER REGISTRATIONWHILE APREF'S CIVIC ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM IS MUCH BROADER THAN VOTER REGISTRATION, NONE THE LESS GETTING VOTERS REGISTERED IS AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT. DURING FY 2021, APRI VOLUNTEERS AND LOCAL CHAPTERS REACHED OUT TO BLACK COMMUNITIES TO MAKE SURE THAT ELIGIBLE PERSONS WERE PROPERLY REGISTERED TO VOTE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. THIS ALSO INCLUDED EDUCATING PEOPLE ON NOT ONLY THE IMPORTANCE OF REGISTERING BUT ALSO THE VARIOUS WAYS THAT THEY COULD CAST THEIR BALLOTSIN PERSON, MAILING IT IN, DEPENDING ON THE LOCALITY USING DROP OFF BOXES ETC.