Black Men Vote (BMV)

Black Men Vote has focused on reaching Black men at basketball courts, gyms, and churches, and through radio and social media advertising. ⁴ BMV has had several partnerships, including with the National Football League Players Association, Rock the Vote, and Microsoft. ^{1  5}

Background

Black Men Vote is a charitable advocacy nonprofit that educates and encourages Black men to vote, with a particular focus on Black men ages 18 to 35. ¹

The organization is involved in voter education, voter registration, community organizing, research, and partnerships with other organizations. The group holds town hall meetings, and local canvassing events. It conducts polling, focus groups, and impact reports to determine the priorities of Black men. ⁶

Donors

The David and Lucille Packard Foundation contributed $350,000 to Black Men Vote in December 2023. ⁷

The Voter Registration Project gave $245,510 to Black Men Vote in December 2023. ⁷

The Long Ridge Foundation donated $125,000 to Black Men Vote in December 2023. ⁷

Leadership

Cassius L. Rudolph is a co-founder of the Black Men Vote initiative. ⁸ Rudolph, a Baptist minister, is the senior pastor of Saints’ Memorial Community Church of Willingboro, New Jersey. Previously, he was the national field director of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and special assistant to left-wing activist minister Jesse Jackson. ⁹

Frank White is the co-founder and chairman of the board of directors of Black Men Vote. ¹⁰

White is a longtime Democratic donor who has donated six figures to the Democrats, including to the presidential campaigns of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. He supported then-U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) during her presidential primary run in 2020. ²

Michael Bland is the executive director of Black Men Vote. He previously was the southern battleground director and senior advisor for faith engagement for the 2024 Kamala Harris presidential campaign. He was also previously the national director of Leaders of Color at Education Reform Now. He was on the campaign for U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT). ^{3  10}

Antonio D. Scott is the chief of staff of the group. Scott advised presidential campaigns, and was the National Mayors Director for the Kamala Harris presidential campaign in 2024. Earlier, he held senior positions at the African American Mayors Association and the National Bankers Association. ³

Nicole Garner is the finance director for BMV. She has two decades of experience in financial management with nonprofit organizations. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the National Association of Tax Professionals. ³

The Black Men Vote board of directors is made up of White, Anthony Smith, and Virtual Murrell, all of whom are retired, as well as Bill Kirk of K&L Gates LLP; Gerry Gibbs of the Capitol Impact Group; Tyrone McClain of Pfizer; Kenny Diggs of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees; Doug Thornell of SKDK; Chaka Burgess of Nation Strategies; and Andy Grossman of Grossman Solutions. ³

Partnerships

Black Men Votes partners with universities, faith institutions, civic groups, and cultural organizations. ⁶

The group is aligned with Black Men Vote PAC, a 527 organization. ¹¹ The Black Men Vote PAC sponsored the Blue Wall Program for the 2024 election. ¹²

Black Men Vote PAC spent $4 million in 2024 to motivate Black men in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania to vote for then-Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election. ²

Another part of the BMV network is the Black Men Vote Civic Action Fund which registers voters. ¹³

In June 2023, Black Men Vote announced a partnership with the National Football League Players Association. Under the partnership, former and current players promote voter registration and encourage civic participation among their fans and followers. ¹

Black Men Vote announced in October 2022 that it was teaming up with both Rock the Vote and Microsoft—among other organizations for the “Strength in Numbers” initiative to register 1 million Black men to vote in the 2024 election. U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) and former Maryland Lt. Gov. and Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele attended the launch event. ⁵

Initiatives

Black Men Vote registered more than 100,000 Black men in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania for the 2024 election.  ⁴

In the 2024 election cycle, Black Men Vote spent more than $6 million on civic engagement that included a pilot program to train barbers to be “voting ambassadors” and encourage their patrons to register.  ²

In late October 2024, Black Men Vote and Black Bikers Vote co-sponsored a motorcycle ride through Philadelphia to motivate voter registration. ⁴

In September 2023, Black Men Vote released a poll that found most Black men frequently skip voting because they saw no viable political solutions, or felt their voices were not heard. ¹⁴

In 2020, the organization helped boost high turnout and registration among Black voters in Georgia. ¹¹