Atlanta, Ga. – October 28, 2008 – Multi-platinum hip-hop star, actor and Grand Hustle recording artist, T. I. voted today for the first time, joining millions of Americans who, in eligible states, are participating in early voting.
TI is the national spokesperson of the RESPECT MY VOTE! non-partisan Get Out The Vote initiative, created by Reverend Lennox Yearwood, Jr. and the Hip Hop Caucus (HHC). The Hip Hop Caucus and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN) have partnered in a national RESPECT MY VOTE! GOTV Bus Tour of 18 cities through Election Day.
T.I. has been a very vocal and engaged activist in helping to get young people to register and now, to get them to the polls to vote. With his prior difficulties with the law, TI made it his point to emphasize that, while he thought he was ineligible to vote, others needed to get out to the polls to make a difference in their lives and their communities. Recently, he did further research on his own and discovered he was, in fact, still eligible to vote. Going to the polls early this morning in Atlanta, Georgia, was a transformative experience for him.
“Feels like I’ve taken advantage of my right to become a part of the democracy,” declared Clifford Harris aka T.I.. “It was definitely worth standing in line and doing all the things people complain about voting. I think it’s more than worth it.”
“The significance of T.I.’s leadership should not be underestimated,” emphasized Dr. Benjamin Chavis, President/CEO of HSAN. “T.I. has emerged as an effective national leader, inspiring millions of young people to vote in the 2008 elections. ”
“T.I. is an inspiration to us all, showing that you can overcome anything,” concluded Reverend Yearwood. “He has become our Harry Belafonte of the 21st Century.”
