Thousands march to vote

On Tuesday, Feb. 19, Prairie View students made history by taking a stand against Waller County's unfair voting conditions.

"I don't feel like they're giving us equal opportunity. We have a right to speak up and vote for whomever we want," said senior Fort Worth native Shayna Woods.

A few thousand students marched 7.2 miles to the Hempstead City Courthouse and 1,000 voted in inadequate voting space. The Precinct 3 County Commissioner neglected to have enough polls available for the vast number of PV students. Polls were also not conveniently provided on campus because county leaders didn't feel Prairie View students would actively vote and that the Memorial Student Center was too chaotic for a polling site.

The "Rock the Vote" campaign coordinator, Jemiah Richards, said that it was very important for students to participate in the march because Waller County often ignores the students and their needs. "There's no reason why we shouldn't be like Texas A&M or the University of Texas in Austin," said Richards, a senior accounting major. "The difference is that we don't exercise our power."

Although students were tired from the long walk, they were still motivated.

"A lot of people have made a lot of sacrifices for us to vote in the past," said senior health major Elizabeth Chante Ashford. "We need to vote. It shouldn't be an option."

Leading up to the big "March to the Polls" were the pep rally on Feb. 17, Dorm Blast Off Feb. 18, and caravanning Tuesday morning.

About 500 people turned out for the pep rally and received free food while listening to DJ Merk. Also at the pep rally several candidates came out to speak to the young voters and sample ballots were passed out to make students more aware of what exactly they were voting for.

The Dorm Blast Off gave the "Rock the Vote" committee volunteers an opportunity to reach out to students on a more personal level and let them know what PV was trying to accomplish.

"It's important for students to recognize that this was a success and that we did make an impact on the community. We were not only recognized locally, but also nationally," said Richards.

Some outside supporters for the march were the Black Youth Vote organization, 97.9 The Box, and Magic 102.1.

"It was a lot of fun for me because I've never really done anything like that before," Ashford said. "I didn't [march] my freshman year, so I'm really glad I had another chance to do it."