CNN
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Two ‘Yellowstone’ cast members team up with other celebrities for a good horse-riding cause.
Piper Perabo and Mo Brings Plenty will join Loren Anthony (“Dexter: New Blood”), Ryan Begay (“Breaking Bad”) and Nicole Kang (“Batwoman”) will saddle up to raise voter awareness as part of a Ride to the Polls effort led by the organizations Harness and Protect the Sacred.
The Solidarity Trail Ride will take place on October 15 in Monument Valley, Arizona.
“It is essential in our country that we change the national narrative to center the rights and voices of black, indigenous and communities of color,” America Ferrera, who with Ryan Piers Williams and Wilmer Valderrama founded Harness, told CNN in an email. interview. “We all need to do what we can to increase turnout for these voters, especially those who live in rural and disadvantaged communities. With many systems of our democracy under attack, Harness is committed to helping protect the right to vote for all Americans and to do so using the strengths we know we have through storytelling and organizing on the culturally competent terrain.
The event is an extension of an effort started by Allie Young, the organizer of Ride to the Polls and founder of Protect the Sacred.
Two years ago, Young joined leaders of the Navajo Nation for a 20-mile horseback ride to lead the polls of Diné voters, an ode to their ancestors who rode for hours to vote.
“I started Ride to the Polls in 2020, hoping to reach young people in my community who were unmotivated to vote for a good reason,” she told CNN. “I don’t think it’s just the Indigenous community that feels that way. I think the BIPOC communities, the disenfranchised communities, across the country feel like they don’t know what to trust anymore. I think there are a lot of people who get really tired of general voting-type posts.
The feedback she received in 2020, Young said, reflected a sense of general disappointment with “a system that was not designed for us.”
“And I (was) like, ‘I’m here with you.’ But when we participate, our vote is powerful,” she said.
Young and Harness’ drive to do more Ride to the Polls events was done with this in mind.
“When our ancestors — whether it’s in the Native community, the Black community, the Latinx community — we all come from those stories where our ancestors had to fight for our existence today,” Young said. “That’s the message I want to spread as we grow – our power and our resilience. When we come together as communities and show how powerful we really are.
Another event leading up to the midterm elections will take place in San Antonio and will be called Quince to the Polls. On October 29, young girls celebrating their Quinceañeras will use the celebration to encourage their families and communities to participate in early voting and on Election Day. A Skate to the Polls event was held in August.
Saturday’s event in Arizona will culminate at the Kayenta Rodeo Grounds, where there will be a panel discussion on voting as well as information on voting locations, food and music.