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For
Immediate Release: |
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For
Further Information Contact: |
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May
12, 2005
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Office
of The Attorney General
-
Peter C. Harvey,
Attorney General
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Tracy
Munford
609-341-3235
or 609-571-5101
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“Be
Powerful, Be Heard - Vote,
NJ!”
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Eagles
Linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Invites Camden,
Burlington, Gloucester County 16-21 Year Olds
to Join Him on Saturday for NJ’s “Power
of the Vote” Statewide Spoken Word Competition |
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Trotter
Joins New Jersey Effort to Register and
Raise Awareness of Young Voters |
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Philadelphia
Eagles Linebacker Jeremiah Trotter will
co-host and serve as a judge for New Jersey's
"Be Powerful,Be Heard" Spoken
Word Competition on
Saturday, May 14th
at Camden City High School in Camden.
New Jersey youth between the ages of 16
and 21 are invited to participate in the
New Jersey “POWER OF THE VOTE”
Spoken Word Competition at one of three
sites across the state. Trotter, along
with fellow judges, Camden County Superior
Court Clerk Tara Dixon and Camden County
school teacher Jackie Ballinger, will
judge spoken word artists at Camden High
School beginning at 9 a.m.
Auditions are also being held beginning
at Arts High School in Newark and Trenton
Central High School in Trenton. You do
not have to be a student at a particular
school in order to participate. Participants
are encouraged to register in advance
by completing an application, available
on line at www.nj.gov/oag/elections/contest
Walk-in’s are welcome, but pre-registration
is encouraged.
Young people can participate in the Spoken
Word Competition by creating and presenting
a three minute poem about the importance
of voting. Participants will be judged
at the competition on May 14. The five
winners from each site will compete at
New Jersey’s second HIP-HOP SUMMIT
with Russell Simmons and the Hip-Hop
Summit Action Network (HSAN) on September
30 in Trenton. The overall winner on September
30 will appear on Black Entertainment
Television’s “Rap City,”
and will have the opportunity to audition
for Russell Simmons’ HBO series
“Def Poetry Jam.”
In
addition, the winner will participate
in a Public Service Announcement about
the importance of voting, which will air
across New Jersey for the month of October
preceding the New Jersey gubernatorial
elections.
New Jersey has become the first state
to utilize the popularity of hip-hop to
motivate, encourage and educate young
people about the importance of voting.
Perth Amboy was chosen as the site for
the kickoff of the 2005 “Be Powerful,
Be Heard” youth voter initiative,
in part, because of its historical significance
to voting. The first African American
to vote in the United States, following
passage of the 15th Amendment in 1870,
was Thomas Mundy Peterson, who resided
and cast that first vote in Perth Amboy.
To register for the competition or for
more information about the “Be Powerful,
Be Heard” initiative visit www.NJElections.org.
#
# #
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Subscribe
here to receive the Attorney
General's Weekly Update via
e-mail |
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