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The And Campaign's Justin Giboney, at a Georgetown University forum in October on the intersection of faith, race and politics in the coming campaign.
Meet the reformer: Justin Giboney, who wants to put more Gospel into politics
In the 13 years since earning his law degree at Vanderbilt, where he played football as an undergraduate, Justin Giboney has been an attorney and political strategist in Atlanta. Two years ago he founded the And Campaign, which uses the logo (&) and describes itself as a coalition of urban Christians seeking to infuse American political culture with the Gospel. His answers have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
What's the tweet-length description of your organization?
A Christian civic organization that helps believers engage politics more faithfully through a framework that emphasizes the compassion and conviction of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Describe your very first civic engagement.
My father took me up to the Colorado state Capitol to watch the legislative process.
What was your biggest professional triumph?
Being invited to give the keynote speech at the Capitol for this year's Council of Christian Colleges and Universities conference.
And your most disappointing setback?
Losing a referendum to fund the Atlanta regions public transportation system in 2012. It not only set back the region, but made me question my interest and place in politics.
How does your identity influence the way you go about your work?
I always try to think about how those who paved the way for me would conduct themselves if they were given the opportunities that I have. What would they say in speeches to certain audiences? What decisions would they make under certain pressures? And how can I make sure I don't squander the legacy of the Civil Rights generation?
What's the best advice you've ever been given?
Identify your core before you enter a new space or venture. Know what you're trying to accomplish and what lines you'll never cross.
Create a new flavor for Ben & Jerry's.
Vintage Vanilla on Vanilla
The West Wing or Veep?
Boardwalk Empire. (I never watched West Wing or Veep)
What's the last thing you do on your phone at night?
Listen to classic sermons.
What is your deepest, darkest secret?
I deal with the pain of having no musical talent by watching every music or musician documentary I can find.
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Election security efforts should be expanded to cover the vendors who provide the equipment and other systems used to record and count votes, according to a new report by the Brennan Center for Justice. Here a Miami-Dade County election worker checks voting machines for accuracy.
Election equipment vendors should face more security oversight, report argues
Efforts to fend off election hackers in 2020 and beyond have revolved around protecting ballot equipment and the databases of registered voters. Little attention has been focused on the vendors and their employees.
But the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice is proposing that the vendors who make election equipment and related systems be subjected to heightened oversight and vetting, much like defense contractors or others involved in national security.
"There is almost no federal regulation of the vendors that design and maintain the systems that allow us to determine who can vote, how they vote, or how their votes are counted and reported," according to a new report from the nonpartisan policy institute.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation is pushing the business community to support civic education.
U.S. Chamber foundation seeks business support for civic ed
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation has a message for corporations: The country is in trouble, so get off your butt.
The foundation made its pitch to the business community in a newly published white paper chronicling the sorry state of civics education, the role that corporations can play in healing a divided country and why it should all matter to businesses.
The health of civics education is "quite bleak," foundation President Carolyn Cawley said in an introduction to the paper, which she called "the first step in our efforts to make the business case for civics."
With the support and buy-in of the private sector, the foundation believes, the country stands a better chance at improving civic education and engagement, which in turn could heal the in-fighting, distrust and misinformation undermining the health of the country and well-being of corporate America.