Dr. William Ferguson Reid (born in 1925) is a civil rights icon in VA. he served in the Navy and worked as a doctor at Bethesda Naval Hospital. He was the first black man elected to the VA legislature since reconstruction, and served 3 terms there.
He grew up next to Maggie Lena Walker, another Virginia treasure. Crimson Quillfeather has a diary coming up about her. This woman’s life is so outstanding that her house is a designated historic site in Virginia. www.nps.gov/…
Dr. Reid’s passion is registering voters, something he’s been doing since there were poll taxes and literacy tests. He continues to do it today with a voter advocacy movement started to honor him. It’s called 90for90 ad it’s goal was/is to register 90 new voters in each precinct in VA.
They reached that goal in February and are now going for 1/2 million new voters.
In the US there are about 219 million people who are eligible to vote. There are 146 million registered to vote and 73 million who aren’t registered.
In 2012, 126 million people voted, only 57%. That is just sad. But Virginia is doing their part, they’ve registered close to 250,000 new voters and hope to double that.
What if all states copied that model? There are around 180, 000+ voting precincts in the US. What if each state registered 90 new voters in each precinct? That would be over 16 million new voters. That’s what Dr. Reid calls a “formidable force”.
At least four congressional candidates are linked on 90for90 as supporters (as well as many from neighboring states, Maryland and North Carolina.) A mayoral candidate, as well as the state party chair, and seven party officers.
There is a whole page for state party officials who support 90for90. A page for VA Senators who support 90for90 and another page for VA House of Delegates who are supporters. Kudu's to Brenda Hill of 90for90 who compiles these lists and keeps them current, no easy task with so many signing on.
There are also politicians from all states, Party Chairs from almost all states, business’s, committee’s, caucus’s, organizations, activists, and artist activists. They have a Face Book page that I check often to see who new has joined on.
I encourage everyone I know to click on that Face Book like button, to spread this fantastic work Dr. Reid is doing in VA. Work that we could be doing in every state.
Tracy B Ann — everything I write, including, but not limited to, my name, belongs solely to me.