On Wednesday, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the Future Black Law Student Association hosted a “Why Black Votes Matter” forum with guest speakers John England Jr., a former Alabama Supreme Court justice and member of the UA System board of trustees; his son John England III; his daughter, April England-Albright; and his son-in-law, Cliff Albright.
The panelists, all alumni of the University, said they wanted to combat misinformation and promote the importance of voter literacy, especially ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
“The way that you get resources given to you and your family and your friends is by electing people who can then go make decisions and laws that impact you,” said April England-Albright, an attorney and legal director for the Black Voters Matter fund, which she founded along with Cliff Albright.
The fund aims to improve Black voter registration and turnout across the country.
“Part of the reason we call the organization ‘Black Voters Matter’ instead of ‘Black votes matter’ is because we know that there’s a lot of folks that care about Black votes, but they don’t really care about Black voters,” Cliff Albright said.
John England Jr., a notable UA alumnus and judge, expressed his pride in the audience for attending the forum and taking initiative with their futures.
“Voting is important, and if you’re here tonight, you clearly believe that,” he said.
Despite the subject matter, the event was filled with lighthearted moments. The speakers from the England and Albright families joked with each other throughout the event and shared stories from their upbringing. They also praised each other for their work in communities, as when John England III took the time to acknowledge the impact of his father at the University.
“Y’all are talking to a legend,” he said. “How often does this happen?”
Adriana McCall, a senior majoring in political science, serves as the social action chair of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. To her, it was important to reach out to the Englands because of what they represent.
“Judge John England Jr. has a dormitory named after him, he was a Supreme Court justice, and he’s made great change,” McCall said. “You may hear about it, but you never really get to see it. It’s a great way for us to see how you really do matter.”
Kayla Layton, a senior majoring in biology and the president of the sorority, hopes that after the forum, attendees are motivated to vote in elections and take control of their futures.
“People are getting rid of affirmative action, different DEI initiatives in public institutions. This affects us,” she said. “We need to bring light to issues and understand that our vote does matter.”
