Barbershop politics: Philly nonprofit wins grant to get black men voting

In the 2011 Philadelphia primary election, voters born since 1980 accounted for only about 9 percent of those who voted.
Jaqueline Larma, File/AP

A Philly nonprofit won a $250,000 grant to attempt to get black men to vote by targeting barbershops. 

The city’s Youth Outreach Adolescent Community Awareness Program submitted a video entry for the Knight News Challenge on Elections - supported by the Democracy Fund, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Rita Allen Foundation – explaining its plan to share nonpartisan information and host discussions about civic engagement on voting in barbershops, which are often frequented by black men, according to a Knight Foundation news release.

The Philly organization was one of 22 winners throughout the country and the only one in the city. The focus of the challenge was voter engagement. 

Sharp Insight by YOACAP Philadelphia