The Workers Circle to Honor Black Voters Matter at Annual Benefit on December 4, 2023
-Host Committee Includes actors Jesse Eisenberg, and Malky Goldman; Darius Brown, Jessica Brown and Rev. Mark Thompson-
November 9, 2023
Contact: Lynsey Billet, lynsey@anatgerstein.com 347-361-8449
(New York, N.Y.) — The Workers Circle will honor Black Voters Matter with the Workers Circle Activism Award at the organization’s Annual Benefit on December 4, 2023. The evening will highlight the strong Black and Jewish partnerships that have fought back against attacks on our democracy and our rights from the earliest days of labor organizing to the Civil Rights movement to today. LaTosha Brown, Co-founder and Chief Doer of the Black Voters Matter Fund and Black Voters Matter Capacity Building Institute, and Cliff Albright, Co-founder and Executive Director of Black Voters Matter and Black Voters Matter Capacity Building Institute, will accept the award on behalf of Black Voters Matter.
“For generations, the Workers Circle has forged strong partnerships with Black-led organizations because we know that collective power is the only way to prevail against attacks on our rights and democracy,” said Ann Toback, CEO of the Workers Circle. “LaTosha, Cliff and everyone at Black Voters Matter are an inspiration to our community of activists, and great partners in our work to defend and strengthen our democracy. We are proud to stand in solidarity with Black Voters Matter and honor them at our upcoming benefit.”
Black Voters Matter works to increase power in marginalized, predominantly Black communities, believing that effective voting allows a community to determine its own destiny. Founded in 2016, the group has since expanded its reach to 25+ states, collaborating with more than 400 local and national partners. Black Voters Matter and the Workers Circle have stood in solidarity on a number of shared actions in the past three years, including civil disobedience for voting rights, mobilizing people to the polls, and legislative advocacy.
LaTosha Brown is an accomplished visionary thought leader, institution builder, cultural activist, artist, and connector. She is a prominent expert on Black voting rights, voter suppression, Black women's empowerment, and philanthropy. Her voice serves as a bridge between the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Power Movement, and Black Lives Matter. LaTosha is the co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund and Black Voters Matter Capacity Building Institute. Additionally, she is the visionary, founder, and co-anchor of the Southern Black Girls & Women’s Consortium, a $100 million, 10-year initiative to invest in organizations that serve Black women and girls, and in 2021 was named one of Glamour Magazine's "Women of the Year" for mobilizing hundreds of thousands of voters in Georgia, resulting in three historic wins for the Democratic Party in the state.
Cliff Albright is a political economist, speaker, and activist. As the Co-founder and Executive Director of Black Voters Matter and Black Voters Matter Capacity Building Institute, Cliff discusses the importance of building power through voting and economic development. He has a deep understanding of how Black politics and Black economics are linked, and views these two strategies as complementary, rather than opposing forces. Cliff is a specialist in voter mobilization strategies, economic development, and Black political economy, as well as in the history of the voting rights movement and current battles against voter suppression.
The Workers Circle’s Benefit will be held at Tribeca 360 located at 10 Desbrosses Street in Manhattan. The event starts with a VIP reception, followed by a dinner and program that includes a sneak preview of songs from A Mother performed by Tony Award-nominated actress Jessica Hecht. A Mother is a radical new adaptation of Brecht’s The Mother told through the lens of Jewish and Black activism, featuring Hecht and Calvin Smith (Fat Ham) being developed by The Baryshnikov Arts Center, with production slated for next season. The evening concludes with dessert.
About the Workers Circle
The Workers Circle is a national, secular, Jewish social justice organization founded by Eastern European immigrants who came to the United States fleeing autocracy and persecution, and seeking democratic freedoms and economic opportunities at the turn of the 20th century. That history drives our work for an inclusive democracy and human equality today. Our activism is rooted in 1,000 years of Yiddish culture and tradition. Through strategic social justice campaigns, vibrant Yiddish language classes, and interactive educational programs, we power a multi-generational community of activists that is building “a better and more beautiful world for all.” Learn more at www.circle.org.