HOUSTON This week, Black Voters Matter heads to Houston ahead of the HBCU All-Star Game to mobilize college and high school students on key voting issues amid a turbulent state legislative session. As part of its Take the Field initiative, BVM seeks to inspire, train and engage Black students on the issues that matter to them. BVM will join national partner, Transformative Justice Coalition, on the ground to champion social justice and voting rights panel discussions and student engagement events, as well as host separate tabling and training events.

“Students have always been a critical part of movement-building,” said Cliff Albright, co-founder and executive director of Black Voters Matter. “As our attention this year turns from national politics back to state and local politics, BVM is closely monitoring the censorship that we see happening in our public schools and the voter suppression tactics that continue to impact states around the country. We are committed to protecting the voting rights of Black and brown communities, and seek to mobilize students across the country to engage on these issues in meaningful and impactful ways.”

This training engagement comes at a particularly critical time in Texas politics, following the introduction of several suppressive voting bills in the state legislature and the state’s takeover of Houston Independent School District (HISD). Still active this legislative session, House Bill 2390 proposes eliminating election sites on college campuses, while several introduced bills explore creating an election fraud police task force inspired by Florida, which has already targeted voters of color. The takeover of Houston’s public schools – which are predominantly composed of and overseen by Black and brown communities — ties into a larger national strategy to strip power from Black institutions, similarly seen with proposed legislation in the majority-Black city of Jackson, MS.

The participants for the 2023 HBCU All-Star Game were unveiled recently on CBS Sports HQ, honoring the top 24 players at the nation’s historically black colleges and universities across Division I and II. Tipoff is set for Sunday, April 2 in Houston at the Texas Southern campus amid Final Four festivities in the city, and the game will be televised on CBS.

WHEN & WHERE: All times CT

Thursday, March 30, 2023

  • 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM: “Texas Voting Rights Under Fire” panel discussion
    • Panel discussion location: pending
  • 3:15 – 4:30 PM: “The Power Of Using Social Media: So You Want a Revolution” panel discussion
    • Panel discussion location: pending
  • 6:00 PM: HBCU All-Stars Welcome Reception & Social Justice panel
    • Hilton Americas-Houston (1600 Lamar St, Houston, TX 77010)

Friday, March 31, 2023

  • 9:00 AM: 2023 Cesar Chavez & Dolores Huerta March for Justice
    • Cesar Chavez High School (8501 Howard Dr, Houston, TX 77017)
  • 2:00 PM: HBCU All-Star community service
    • Cuney Homes (3260 Truxillo St, Houston, TX 77004)

Saturday, April 1, 2023

  • 9:00 – 9:35 AM: “The Dobbs Decision & Voting Rights” panel discussion
    • Panel discussion location: pending
  • 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM: BVM High School All-Star Kickback civic engagement training
    • St. John United Methodist Church (2019 Crawford St, Houston, TX 77002)

Sunday, April 2, 2023

  • 3:00 PM: All Star Game
  • Texas Southern University, H&PE Arena (3000 Wheeler Ave, Houston, TX 77004)

LEARN MORE: To learn more about the Take the Field campaign, please visit the website.