Atlanta HBCU students can receive reduced rides to the polls

HBCU Heroes, Lyft and the Social Change Fund are partnering to provide discounted rides to HBCU students on Election Day.

The collaboration was first announced on Facebook last week, but reached a greater audience this week on Twitter through posts by NBA players and Social Change Fund co-founders Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul.

Atlanta colleges involved in the partnership include Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College and Spelman College. The schools, part of the Atlanta University Center, are operating virtually for the fall 2020 semester.

The discounted rideshare codes will be distributed internally by the colleges to their students for use on Election Day Nov. 3.

“We’re going to have them distribute the codes to their students no matter what city they’re in across the country so they can get to the polls wherever they are,” said Tracey Pennywell, cofounder of HBCU Heroes.

For Kwame Jackson, partner of HBCU Heroes, the partnership is also a way to highlight the history and role of HBCUs across the U.S.

“I think this is really an opportune time as our country struggles with racial reckoning to understand the power that community has and has contributed historically and going forward,” Jackson said.

The Social Change Fund was founded in July by Carmelo Anthony along with Paul and Wade. Their mission is to support organizations that advocate for people of color and work toward an equitable society, according to the website.

The partnership is part of Lyft’s LyftUp campaign, which aims to provide transportation to voters who cannot otherwise get to the polls. It also follows HBCU Week and the national conference planned with the White House Initiative on HBCUs that went virtual this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.