Partnership kicks off with a joint four-state presidential radio buy on African American radio stations in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan and North Carolina.

WASHINGTON – AFSCME and the NAACP launched on Saturday two radio ads which will run in the Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Detroit, Flint, Raleigh, Charlotte and Greensboro markets through election day. Both the AFSCME and NAACP ads slam President Trump’s failures to combat COVID-19, while the virus continues to exact a brutal and disproportionate toll on the Black community.

“While Trump lied, Black people died,” says the NAACP ad before urging voters to request a ballot and make a plan to vote. “Trump spends his time golfing, while COVID-19 hits the black community hard,” says the voiceover in the AFSCME ad (paid for by AFSCME’s PAC, AFSCME PEOPLE) contrasting Trump’s record with that of Joe Biden’s to protect health care. The significant ad buys jumpstart a partnership between the two organizations that will focus on Black voter education and mobilization based on what is at stake in November and beyond for communities of color.

The partnership marks a new chapter in the shared activism and close bond between the civil rights community and AFSCME. Together, the NAACP and AFSCME are addressing the deep-seated racial injustices and corrupt incompetence which have forced Black communities across the country to bear the brunt of the health and economic crises facing the nation.

“The Black vote will determine the outcome of this consequential election, and we must ensure that we use this influence to elect leaders who will empower our communities,” said NAACP President Derrick Johnson. “This historic collaboration is proof that our communities are united during these critical times. From the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 to ongoing police brutality experienced by black people, we must turn out to vote in November — and every election — if we are to achieve the representation and policy changes that will protect our communities. We must ensure that every voice is heard because our lives and future depend on it.”

Listen to the NAACP ad, While He Lied, Black People Died, here.

“I can’t recall an election where fundamental issues of racial justice have been more at stake,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. “It’s going to take overwhelming turnout among African Americans and communities of color to prevail in November. That’s why AFSCME has entered into this unique partnership with the NAACP. By combining our resources and expertise, we will mobilize voters in targeted states who are tired of leaders who stoke racial resentment and head for the links while Black and brown people die by the thousands. This collaboration — between our two organizations that have done so much to advance civil rights, labor rights and human rights — will help ensure that voters are informed and empowered this November to elect leaders who will invest in all our communities and unite us around shared values.”