New York, NY — African-American civil rights organization ColorOfChange.org announced Monday that it will expand its civic participation effort in the run-up to the 2012 election through a partnership with The Root. The online news hub, which is owned by The Washington Post Company, offers commentary and analysis from a range of Black perspectives.

As part of the partnership, a ColorOfChange tool that facilitates online voter registration will be displayed on The Root’s site, which has an average of 1.4 million monthly unique visitors. In addition, The Root will report on incidents of voter suppression based on ColorOfChange.org’s work to solicit, validate and distribute citizen reporting of those incidents.

“As a journalistic enterprise our focus in this partnership will be in providing the public with vital information about voting, the changing laws about voting, and news about the election season we’re in,” said The Root Managing Editor Sheryl Huggins Salomon. “We’re thrilled to be working with ColorofChange to get that information in front of as many people as possible.”

“We are very excited to join forces with The Root to ensure that our communities receive factual and rigorously researched information as we approach this fall’s election,” said ColorOfChange Executive Director Rashad Robinson. “ColorOfChange is focused on exposing and pushing back against racially discriminatory practices that are being used to keep Black Americans and other underrepresented groups from the polls. The Root is the ideal partner for such an effort.”

The joint effort will inform readers how to acquire whatever voter identification is required for their respective states. The civil rights organization and the online publication will also collaborate to educate their audiences about voting laws in the weeks and months preceding presidential elections.

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With more than 800,000 members, ColorOfChange.org is the nation’s largest online civil rights organization.

The Root is the leading online source of news and commentary from an African-American perspective. Founded in 2008 under the leadership of Prof. Henry Louis Gates Jr. of Harvard University, The Root offers a unique take on breaking news, provides solid analysis and presents dynamic multimedia content. The Root raises the profile of black voices in mainstream media and engages anyone interested in black culture around the world. The Root is owned by the Washington Post Company. Visit us at www.theroot.com, on Twitter@TheRoot247 and on Facebook.