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HARRISBURG — With critical judicial elections weeks away and a presidential race on the horizon, business leaders, state lawmakers, and voting rights advocates gathered to discuss how to engage more communities in government and politics.
The event, “Path to Equity,” was hosted by Color & Culture, a Harrisburg-based marketing agency focused on reaching marginalized communities, and the nonprofit news organization Spotlight PA. It focused “on the state’s rapidly growing communities of color, why they are not yet proportionally represented in positions of power, what obstacles exist in terms of their engagement, and the vital importance journalism plays in this equation,” its organizers said in an announcement.
“Pennsylvania has long been a battleground state and will continue to be so in future election cycles,” Color & Culture CEO George Fernandez said Wednesday at the Whitaker Center in Harrisburg. “Historically, marginalized voters are instrumental in determining the results in both presidential and midterm elections. And that’s why we came here together today.”
The event featured a panel of advisors to Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, all of whom serve as executive directors of commissions that focus on African American, LGBTQ, Asian American, and women’s affairs.
The commissions, established by different governors through executive orders over the years, hear feedback from their specific communities and advise the governor’s policy staff and agencies on solutions.
The advisors said that meeting people where they are, breaking down complicated government jargon into useful information, and getting results are top priorities to increase engagement.
“Just having Gov. Shapiro utilize social media so much more, I think…
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