NORFOLK, Va. — With less than 30 days until Election Day, local chapters from historically Black fraternities and sororities hosted a non-partisan candidate town hall at Norfolk State University on Saturday afternoon.
A lot was said on a range of topics from education to public safety and even economics. Over a dozen candidates from nine races across the Southside spoke on issues this afternoon.
“I wanted to get a broader scope of what all of the candidates are running, what they had to say compared to what I'm aware of my city needed,” said Dr. Michelle Brathwaite, a Suffolk resident.
“I think it's important to know the candidates—what they stand for, what the issues are, what are the priorities and how it aligns with what the city wants,” said Norfolk resident Dr. Cleophas d’Auvergne.
Some of the candidates that spoke were running for mayoral and city council positions across the Southside. U.S. Congressman Bobby Scott was there as well.
The event was put on by Upsilon Omicron Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and the Alpha Phi Lambda and Epsilon Pi chapters of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. The chapter leaders say the event aligns with their mission of civic engagement and helping voters understand what’s at stake on Nov. 5.
“Politics are local. We do get caught up in the Congress and national elections. But you have to—in order impact your community, you need to know what's going on in the community,” said Derrick Blair, president of the Alpha Phi Alpha Alpha Phi Lambda chapter.
It’s something attendees say was successful.
“This is a good means of getting out the vote and getting people educated to know what the issues are and how to become better citizens,” said Dr. Cleophas d’Auvergne, a Norfolk resident.
“This was a great opportunity to trying to get a broader scope about what's going on, not just in my community, but in all of our community because maybe we're all having the same problems,” said Dr. Michelle Brathwaite, a Suffolk resident.
Both chapter presidents said this is the fifth iteration of the town hall, and they plan to do one next year as well.