BB&T releases latest 'BiBi Talks' CD
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., March 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- BB&T
Corporation (NYSE: BBT) and Democracia U.S.A. today released a free audio
recording designed to encourage Hispanic voter participation.
"BiBi Talks about Voting and Government in the United States" is the
third installment in BB&T's "BiBi Talks" series of educational CDs in
Spanish.
In a mock talk-show format with a character named "BiBi" (pronounced
Bee- Bee) as the host, the CD covers voter registration and the voting
process; American political parties; federal government branches; state and
local government roles; and more.
"BiBi Talks" follows nine previous editions of BB&T's original "BiBi
Tapes" series, which follow the "TV Novelas" storytelling approach made
popular on Spanish television. The free tapes and CDs from both series are
available throughout BB&T's nearly 1,500 financial centers across 11 states
and Washington, D.C.
Designed to help Hispanic immigrants adapt to life in the United
States, BB&T introduced the BiBi recordings in 2002 as part of a
corporate-wide Hispanic marketing effort. Previous editions have featured
topics such as emergency preparedness, basic banking information, finding a
job, driving, housing, insurance and the American legal system.
Hispanics make up the nation's largest and fastest growing minority
group, representing about 15 percent of the U.S. population. If recent
voting trends continue, only about 6.5 percent of Hispanics -- out of an
eligible 9 percent -- will vote in the 2008 U.S. presidential election,
according to the Pew Hispanic Center.
Democracia U.S.A. is working to improve that turnout projection by
registering U.S. Hispanic voters and educating them about democracy and
civic involvement. The group began its work in 2004 in Florida, registering
72,000 voters. In 2006, it expanded into Arizona, New Jersey and
Pennsylvania. Democracia U.S.A. has registered 70 percent of all new
nonpartisan Hispanic voters in the past four years, according to the
Associated Press.
"This most recent BiBi CD covers the U.S. government and voting process
in an educational and entertaining format," said Jorge Moller, BB&T's
Multicultural Markets manager. "We created the series specifically for
Spanish-speaking audiences to aid, educate and empower Hispanics on the
nuances of life in the United States so that they can feel at ease living
here."
About 350,000 BiBi tapes and CDs have been distributed through BB&T
financial centers and Hispanic/Latino advocacy groups since 2002.
"We are pleased to offer our expertise in registering U.S. Hispanic
voters to this valuable learning tool for civic engagement," said
Democracia U.S.A. President Jorge Mursuli. "We believe the recording is a
great addition to BB&T's educational series and will help motivate
Hispanics to become more involved in the voting process."
The BiBi series is one aspect of a broad multicultural program at BB&T
focused on its diverse and multicultural communities, Moller said.
Approximately 10 percent of BB&T's branches are multicultural banking
centers that include bilingual staff members as well as Spanish signage and
brochures.
Established in 2004, Democracia USA (D-USA) is a nonpartisan Hispanic
civic engagement program that seeks to increase the prominence and
participation of Hispanics in American democracy through empowerment,
leadership training and civic participation. D-USA works to empower
Hispanics by increasing their participation in the electoral process and
registering them as voters, educating them in a nonpartisan way about
electoral issues, and encouraging them to vote on Election Day.
With $132.6 billion in assets, Winston-Salem, N.C.-based BB&T
Corporation (NYSE: BBT) is the nation's 14th largest financial holding
company. It operates nearly 1,500 financial centers in 11 states and
Washington, D.C. More information about the company is available at
BBT.com.
SOURCE BB&T Corporation
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Related links:
http://www.bbt.com
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/809325.html /
CONTACT:
Thelma Urbina, MGS Communications,
+1-305-444-4647, ext. 287, thelma@mgscomm.com; Jorge Moller, BB&T
Multicultural Markets, +1-336-733-2482, jmoller@bbandt.com; Jeff
Nichols, BB&T Corp. Communications, +1-336-733-1472,
jjnichols@bbandt.com
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