Press Release

The Collective PAC Celebrates Five Years of Building Black Political Power

Wednesday, September 15th, 2021

WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, The Collective PAC — the nation’s largest political action committee dedicated to increasing Black political engagement, representation and power across all levels of government — announces a stellar lineup of private and public events this weekend in honor of its five-year anniversary. 

Beginning Friday, September 17, more than 100 elected officials and political candidates, as well as progressive advocates, corporate partners, cultural influencers and supporters will join The Collective PAC in Washington, D.C. to participate in several celebratory events and activities highlighting the organization’s impact and contribution to increasing Black representation in politics at the local, state, and federal level. Private events (for sponsors and invited guests) will include a panel discussion with U.S. Senate and statewide candidates running for office, a VIP reception featuring endorsed candidates and elected officials, and a non-partisan voter registration activation in partnership with BET Networks during the inaugural “Truth and Service Classic” football game at Audi Field between historic HBCU rivals, Howard University and Hampton University. 

The weekend will culminate with The Collective’s History Makers Fifth Anniversary Celebration concert on Saturday, September 18, featuring Grammy Award-winning artist Nas and NAACP Image Awards 2021 Entertainer of the Year DJ D-Nice; drinks for the event will be provided by CÎROC and DeLeón. The concert is open to the public and will require attendees to present proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of the event. Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster; all proceeds will go toward advancing The Collective’s mission of building Black political power.

“When we started The Collective PAC in 2016, we set out on a mission to fix the under-representation of the Black community in elected seats of power throughout the nation; as we celebrate our fifth anniversary, we are proud to say our team has helped to elect more than 250 Black candidates to office, with plans to double that number during this election cycle,” says Quentin James and Stefanie Brown James, founders of The Collective PAC. “Although we helped to usher in the most racially and ethnically diverse Congress in 2018 and 2020, particularly in the U.S. House of Representatives, we have a long way to go to increase Black representation in the Senate and state legislatures. With midterm elections just a little over a year away, we are working to protect our Black incumbents, increase turnout among Black voters, and capitalize on emerging opportunities to elect Black women to the U.S. Senate and into a governor’s seat.”

Over the past five years, The Collective PAC has grown into a network of organizations — The Collective — comprised of five distinct, affiliated entities dedicated to disrupting politics as usual: The Collective PAC, The Collective Super PAC, and The Southern Strategy are all focused on candidate work, while The Collective Future (501c4) and The Collective Education Fund (501c3) are dedicated to increasing Black voter education, engagement, and civic activation. Each of these organizations are leading the charge to create a truly equitable democracy, where our nation’s local, state, and federal governments have diverse and talented elected leadership, and where Black people are fully represented in positions of power to create the policies necessary to progress our communities forward. 

To date, The Collective PAC and the aforementioned affiliated organizations have achieved the following:

250 endorsed Black candidates elected in 38 states 

$25 million raised 

1,500+ Black candidates and campaign operatives trained via the Black Campaign School 

186,000+ voters registered in 2020 via The Collective’s Vote To Live Campaign

3 million phone calls & texts made to Black voters in 2020

$1.5 million invested in radio ads to get out the vote in Black communities

183,000 volunteer GOTV phone bank shifts organized

100,000+ free rides provided to the polls in 2020

The Collective PAC would like to thank all of its sponsors, partners and supporters – past and present – for helping the organization advance its mission and achieve this important milestone. Sponsor organizations of the fifth anniversary celebration include: ActBlue, America Votes, BET Networks, B-Code, Braven Solutions, CÎROC, DeLeón, Elias Law Group, Emerge, EMILY’s List, Full Circle Strategies, Leaders of Color, MikeWorldWide (MWW), Mothership Strategies, MoveOn, NAACP, National Democratic Redistricting Committee, Onward Together, Priorities USA, Swing Left, Swisher, The Outreach Team, Third Way, Zinc Collective/Blue Leadership Collective and #VOTEPROCHOICE

 

ABOUT THE COLLECTIVE PAC 

The Collective PAC is working to create an America where Black people are equally represented at every level of government. The Collective PAC is strategically focused on creating a truly equitable democracy where our nation’s local, state and federal governments have diverse and talented elected leadership and Black people are fully represented in positions of power to create the policies necessary to progress our communities forward.