Healing and Rebuilding Tour encourages students to vote

The Rev. Jesse Jackson's "Healing and Rebuilding" bus tour made a stop on the Roanoke College campus Sept. 18. Billed as a voter empowerment rally, the event was part of Jackson's effort to reach out to young voters, and encourage voter registration and engagement.

The Baptist minister, civil rights leader and one-time candidate for the U.S. presidency, was accompanied by Virginia Del. Sam Rasoul, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and a 2002 graduate of Roanoke. The event was presented by the Roanoke College Democrats.  

During his hour-long talk and question-and-answer session, Jackson touched on a variety of subjects - inclusion, health care, monuments, politics. But he closed by asking students who were not registered to vote in the Roanoke Valley to stand. Each was then given a voter registration form.  

"You have the right to register and vote where you live," he told the students. "You may be registered to vote back home, but you're likely not going back home just to vote. You should vote where you live."  

Roanoke College is a liberal arts institution. One of the hallmarks of such educational institutions is open and civil discourse from speakers on a variety of topics and political viewpoints. This is a responsibility that Roanoke College regards with great seriousness. Roanoke College is open to hosting speakers of a variety of viewpoints and welcomes visits by leaders and candidates from across the political spectrum. An appearance on campus should not be interpreted as a College endorsement of a particular candidate or position.