Boards of Change is not just a physical installation that allowed us to be present in the heart of Chicago’s Black neighborhoods to inspire and register voters. Boards of Change is also an idea with a powerful story and meaning at its core. This allowed us to use journalists, politicians, residents, artists and influencers to spread our message.

When righteous anger over the murder of George Floyd brought millions out in the streets, the 2020 U.S. election offered a ray of hope in the fight for change. But decades of disenfranchisement and voter suppression left many Black Americans feeling like their vote didn’t count. Unable to stand by, Chicago’s mayor Lori Lightfoot wanted Black voters to matter.

ln partnership with “When We All Vote,” the voter rights organization founded by former first Lady Michelle Obama, the City of Chicago aimed to bring the engagement seen during the George Floyd protests from the streets to the polls. The main objectives were to change the culture around voting and to increase the number of registrations and voters within Chicago’s Black community, and in extension within the entire nation. We were asked to come up with an impactful, authentic and cost-efficient idea to achieve this.

During the civil unrest, many buildings and stores barricaded their windows with plywood boards. It wasn’t long before those plain plywood boards became canvases for underrepresented communities to voice their frustrations, hopes and cries for change. The most striking plywood boards—seen by many as symbols of destruction—were transformed into tools to take concrete action: voting booths. The collection of various booths was then turned into an impactful exhibition that traveled to dozens of Chicago’s Black and Brown neighborhoods, to inspire residents to create systemic change through the power of their vote. The booths also initiated the crucial first step in the voting process: registration, through a simple smartphone scan.

By using an authentic and powerful symbol like the plywood boards—initially representing anarchy and destruction—and then turning them into a concrete tool to create positive change, we were able to earn the attention of our target audience, as well as journalists.

Boards of Change aimed to bring the engagement seen during the George Floyd protests from the streets to the polls. Our main objective was to change the culture around voting and to increase the number of registrations and voters, particularly in Chicago’s Black community. And while our voting booths installation allowed us to be present in the heart of Chicago’s Black neighborhoods to inspire and register voters, we relied on the power of PR to spread our message throughout the entire city and even the nation. To achieve maximum impact, we knew we had to make Chicago’s mayor Lightfoot one of the key figures in our story, alongside other important protagonists such as the artists who painted the boards, the store owners, local community members and the Chicago Board of Elections.

Boards of Change was launched in the presence of the media with a fiery speech by Chicago’s Mayor Lightfoot standing in front of the boards, during which she called out President Trump for his blatant attacks on democracy and urged for unity and civic engagement.

The following weeks, the voting booths installation was taken to dozens of Black and Brown neighborhoods, community events and even right in front of Chicago’s City Hall and Chicago’s voting super site. News crews were invited to capture footage and interviews with residents, community leaders, artists, store owners, the chair of the Chicago Board of Elections and Mayor Lightfoot. We also documented everything ourselves and sent out media assets such as photos and videos to journalists who couldn’t attend.

Additionally, we had dozens of respected Black Chicagoan influencers and the Chicago artist community who talked about Boards of Change on their social media channels.

The message of Boards of Change resonated throughout the entire nation, thanks to massive press coverage by Fox, MSN, ABC, Forbes, as well as making the front page of the Chicago Tribune. When being featured by NBC’s Nightly News with Lester Holt, Boards of Change was called “inspiring, meaningful and creative.”

The campaign exceeded its communication objective of reaching all eligible Black Chicagoans and empowered millions of Black Americans to know that their vote counts. Chicago achieved a record number of registrations and voters. There was a big increase in registrations and an overall turnout of 73%.

Boards of Change also positioned the brand of The City of Chicago as a diverse, inclusive, resilient and creative place for both residents and visitors.

Today, Boards of Change lives on at the DuSable Museum for African American History, as part of a historic moment for the Black community.

When righteous anger over the murder of George Floyd brought millions out in the streets, some chose destruction as an outlet for their frustration. This resulted in plywood boards being put up on buildings and storefronts throughout the United States. A jarring sight.

However, residents and local artists –many of them from underrepresented communities– started using the plywood boards as canvases to paint striking artwork and inspiring messages calling for unity, justice and change. Instead of letting these powerful symbols disappear, we turned them into tools to create tangible systemic change at the ballot box, especially in Black communities who felt like their voice didn’t count, due to decades of disenfranchisement and voter suppression.