Sweet Auburn Festival encourages voter registration

This year’s Sweet Auburn Heritage Festival came twinned with a massive voter registration effort, coined by festival founder and coordinator Charles Johnson as the “Million Voter Pledge.”

In real terms, organizers were hoping to register more than 100,000 new voters during the course of the festival, which started Friday evening. By the end of the event Sunday night, they had signed up nearly 30,000.

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Allen Sullivan/aesullivan@ajc.com

Sandy White, the SCLC / Women’s Organizational Movement for Equality Now executive assistant (right), helps Catrina Russaw fill out a voter change-of-address form during the Sweet Auburn Heritage Festival on Sunday.

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“No sorrow with falling short of 100K,” festival spokesman David Stokes text-messaged. “If only one was reg, effort w/b success still.”

Several groups under the helm of the Coalition for the Peoples’ Agenda, including the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the NAACP, carried out voter registration, Stokes said.

He said the drive was carried out in memory of Terrell L. Slayton Jr., president of the 100 Black Men of Atlanta and former Georgia assistant secretary of state.

Slayton, who died on Sept. 27 at the age of 61, worked tirelessly to register African-Americans to vote, Stokes said.

Earlier Sunday, voter registration workers were upbeat.

Sandy White, office manager and executive assistant for one of the participating organizations, SCLC/W.O.M.E.N., said her group was happy with their numbers — nine voters Friday, 63 on Saturday and 28 as of Sunday afternoon.

“It’s one thing to get everybody registered to vote but to make sure they turn out to vote is the next challenge,” White said.

While those working to register voters steered clear of partisanship, the festival itself clearly took a stance favoring the Democratic presidential candidate. Its Web site has a slideshow of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and a solicitation for his campaign.

Indeed, dotting the typical festival fare — snowcones and shish kebabs and face painting — were Obama’s name and face splashed across T-shirts and signs. No signs or campaign paraphernalia were visible for the Republican candidate, U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

Leroy Francis offered free hot dogs and drinks and raised $1,000 for the Obama campaign by selling yard signs. Francis said he planned to follow up the weekend’s effort by heading into inner-city neighborhoods with a loudspeaker and urging people to vote.

Pacino Malcolm, 32, manager of hip-hop artist Russ P., sold rubber bracelets à la Lance Armstrong that read, “No More Drama Vote Obama.” At $2 apiece, Malcolm said he sold 75 this weekend and would donate 20 percent of the proceeds to the Obama campaign.

Minuette Jackson said she sold at least 500 Obama T-shirts on Saturday. A favorite was the one featuring late comedian Redd Foxx and the message: “Vote Obama ‘08 This is the big one!”

Lila Walker, 46, a psychologist from Chicago, likened Obama to Michael Jordan in terms of inspiration. With Obama, she feels newly inspired about politics.

“Maybe I could make a difference,” said Walker, who bought an Obama yard sign Sunday.