Culture Conversations: Tina Knowles-Lawson addresses voter suppression ahead of 2020 election

LOS ANGELES - Culture Conversations is an engaging and informative FOX 11 digital program aimed at closely examining the issues that our nation is grappling with at this moment: race, inequality, justice, policing, political strength, and what these issues mean to our future. 

Each week, host Mimi Brown will interview change-makers, influencers, and celebrities on weekly newsworthy topics.  

This week, Tina Knowles-Lawson, mother to one of the most famous superstars in the world opens up about voter suppression and the HEROES Act.

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - MARCH 01: Tina Knowles-Lawson attends the 2018 Essence Black Women In Hollywood Oscars Luncheon at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on March 1, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images for Essence)

Tina Knowles-Lawson: Tina Knowles-Lawson is a proud mother and grandmother who is using her voice to voice to amplify diverse voices. The Texas native is also a businesswoman and fashion designer. Follow her on Instagram.

In an effort to protect the voting rights of Black and Brown communities disproportionately affected by the coronavirus crisis, Activist Tina Knowles-Lawson has joined forces with her daughters Beyoncé and Solange to protect voter rights.

RELATED: LeBron James forms group aimed at getting African-Americans to vote, tackling voter suppression

The movement is also being supported by other notable Black women in Hollywood and "Mothers of the Movement."

The Mothers of the Movement is composed of a group of Black mothers who have lost their children as a result of police brutality. 

As part of  The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights campaign called “And Still I Vote,” Mrs. Tina Knowles-Lawson wrote an open letter to congress urging them to pass the HEROES Act, legislation that would provide additional stimulus payments to American families and ensure voting safety for all communities.

The letter is addressed to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY). 

In it the letter, Mrs. Knowles-Lawson cites ongoing voter suppression in places like Louisville, Ky., where there was only a single polling place for its 600,000 residents. This also includes places like Milwaukee where voters stood in line for hours at one of only five polling places. As a result, many voters contracted COVID-19.

In Georgia's Fulton County where voting machines broke down, residents stood in heat and humidity for as long as seven hours after failing to receive mail-in ballots. 

We also talked to Leigh Chapman from The Leadership Conference about her role in partnering with Mrs. Knowles-Lawson.

Mrs. Knowles-Lawson spoke to Mimi Brown, host of FOX 11’s Culture Conversations, about her fight to end voter suppression, her recent meeting with Senator Schumer, and the link between voting and attaining justice in cases like Breonna Taylor, who was shot to death in her own home by police officers.  

Read the letter by Knowles-Lawson and signed by the women below urging the Senate to pass the HEROES Act:

Among the Mothers of the Movement who signed the letter are Gwen Carr, the Mother of Eric Garner; Kadiatou Diallo, mother of Amadou Diallo; Sybrina Fulton, mother of Travyon Martin; Maria Hamilton, mother of Dontre Hamilton;  Wanda Johnson, mother of Oscar Grant; Wanda Cooper Jones, mother of Ahmaud Arbery; Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Ga., mother of Jordan Davis; Geneva Reed-Veal, mother of Sandra Bland; Tamika Palmer, mother of Breonna Taylor; and Shareeduh McGee Tate, family member of George Floyd.

Others who signed their names include Beyonce, Solange, Viola Davis, Whoopi Goldberg, Octavia Spencer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Gabrielle Union, Taraji P. Henson, Kelly Rowland, Lala Anthony, Halle Berry, Yvette Nicole Brown, Melina Matsoukas, Janelle Monae, Bozoma Saint John, Holly Robinson Peete, Lena Waithe, Kerry Washington and Rashida Jones.

Mimi Brown: Culture Conversations is hosted by Mimi Brown. She is a Segment Producer for Good Day LA and has also worked for NBC News, US Weekly, and ABC News. Brown earned her Bachelor's degree from Howard University and also holds a Master's degree from American University.  You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter. 

Watch more episodes of Culture Conversations.

To contact us about this program, email us at cultureconversations@foxtv.com. Follow the conversation on social media #cultureconversations.