By Charles Blatcher III
Chairman, National Coalition of Black Veteran Organizations
For the past two years, the National Coalition of Black Veteran Organizations has encouraged Black veterans and their families to register and vote. In recognition of Veterans Day, we extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped carry that message into communities across the nation.
To the veterans who registered, encouraged others, and showed up at the polls: thank you. Your commitment reflects a tradition of service that continues long after the uniform comes off.
To our families, Coalition partners, clergy, and community organizations: thank you for making this campaign a shared undertaking. Through your organizations, churches, and community networks, you reminded those who served our nation in uniform that their voices remain essential to its future.
The campaign’s success rests on that collective commitment—the willingness of veterans and their supporters to share information, encourage participation, and keep civic responsibility before our communities.
We do not have statistics measuring Black veteran voter participation, so we cannot assign a number to our contribution or claim a measurable effect on election results. What we can acknowledge is the work our partners undertook and express our appreciation to every veteran and family member who answered the call.
Black veterans may receive little recognition in broader discussions of voter turnout. Their participation nevertheless deserves acknowledgment. Our voices matter, our votes matter, and our continued engagement matter.
This campaign was grounded in a responsibility that reaches beyond individual political views: protecting a democracy in which every citizen has a voice and every vote is respected.
For generations, Black Americans defended this nation while being denied the full rights of citizenship. They wore its uniform under segregation, defended freedom abroad while confronting discrimination at home, and accepted the responsibilities of citizenship while struggling for an equal voice in government.
There was a time when we stood for a nation that would not stand for us.
Yet those who served believed in a future beyond the injustices they endured. Their sacrifices helped advance the promise of equal rights, equal opportunity, and equal protection. Exercising the right to vote is one way we honor their courage and carry their work forward.
Our responsibility does not end when the ballots are counted. It continues by encouraging eligible voters to register, helping our communities stay informed, and preparing the next generation to participate in our democracy.
Over the next two years, our goal is to encourage the major civil rights organization(s) to designate Black and Brown veterans as a special target audience for their voter education outreach. By working with veterans’ organizations and community partners, these efforts can reach more veterans and their families with information about registration, voting, and continued civic participation.
On behalf of the National Coalition of Black Veteran Organizations, thank you for helping make this campaign possible. You carried its message forward and affirmed that Black veterans remain committed to serving their country.
This Veterans Day, we honor your military service—and the service you continue to give through active citizenship. “Ready and Forward!”
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