As the 2020 Presidential election looms on the horizon, each day seems to bring another news story of preventable tragedy. Further, the right to vote is under significant threat, as we continue to receive reports of rampant voter suppression and disenfranchisement, especially within Black and Latinx communities. It is clear that democracy and civil rights need to be fought for, both hard and strategically.

As the deadlines for voter registration are coming up quickly (Florida's is October 5th), artists Sarah Faux and Martha Tuttle have organized a benefit sale of works on paper for WtW, in collaboration with Drawer. The benefit includes works on paper by close to fifty artists, including Katherine Bradford, Pat Steir, Byron Kim, Mark Thomas Gibson, Felipe Baeza, Erin M. Riley, Doron Langberg, Christopher K. Ho, and Ivy Haldeman, and will be online from September 21 through September 29.

Walk the Walk 2020 is a data driven initiative working to turn out voters in battleground states, and support voters who have historically been disenfranchised. More specifically, WtW is a fundraising initiative for grassroots community organizations who are building progressive electoral power in eight key swing states — Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Ohio, Florida, and Arizona. They have selected 8 beneficiary organizations run by and/or working within African American, Latinx and multiracial communities, organizations that have a track record of building social engagement, civic participation, and getting constituents out to vote.

Walk the Walk 2020 has already helped fund the re-enfranchisement of citizens with felony convictions in Florida (via the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition) and empowered voters through deep canvassing in key districts in North Carolina (via Advance Carolina). Future funds raised will go towards efforts to register people of color, youth and women in Georgia (via the New Georgia Project), register hundreds of thousands of voters in Ohio (via Stand Up for Ohio), and mobilizing immigrant voters in Pennsylvania (via CASA in action), among others. More information about the specific organizations Walk the Walk 2020 is funding can be found here.

All funds raised during the benefit will be donated to Walk the Walk 2020 and used by the grassroots organizations they resource to actively combat voter suppression, empower and enfranchise communities who are systematically shut out from voting, bring in new potential Democratic voters, and (hopefully) aid in voting this president out of office.