# Citizen Change

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> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_Change
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{{Short description|Political service group}}
{{multiple issues|
{{unreliable sources|date=December 2015}}
{{update|date=December 2015}}
{{ref improve|date=February 2012}}
}}
'''Citizen Change''' is a political service group, founded in 2004 by rapper [Sean Combs](/source/Sean_Combs), and backed by musical artists [Mary J. Blige](/source/Mary_J._Blige), [Mariah Carey](/source/Mariah_Carey) and [50 Cent](/source/50_Cent).<ref>{{cite web |title=All aboard P. Diddy's political party plane |url=https://www.today.com/popculture/all-aboard-p-diddy-s-political-party-plane-wbna6346580 |website=Today |date=27 October 2004 |accessdate=January 18, 2019}}</ref> The stated aim was to get [young people](/source/young_people) and [minorities](/source/minorities) to [vote](/source/vote).<ref name="People">{{cite web |last1=Silverman |first1=Stephen P. |title=P. Diddy to Kids, Minorities: Vote or Die |url=https://people.com/celebrity/p-diddy-to-kids-minorities-vote-or-die/ |website=People |accessdate=January 18, 2019}}</ref>

==History==
The campaign's message, promoted on [t-shirt](/source/t-shirt)s and other things, is "'''Vote or Die!'''", a phrase adapted from [Join, or Die](/source/Join%2C_or_Die), a well-known cartoon by [Benjamin Franklin](/source/Benjamin_Franklin). 

===2004 United States presidential election===
Combs said at the time that its mission was to make voting "hot" and "sexy."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Quart |first1=Alissa |title=They're Not Buying It |work=The New York Times |date=6 November 2004 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/06/opinion/theyre-not-buying-it.html |accessdate=January 18, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Vargas |first1=Jose Antonio |title=Vote or Die? Well, They Did Vote |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35290-2004Nov8.html?noredirect=on |newspaper=Washington Post |accessdate=January 18, 2019}}</ref> The 2004 campaign included a line of "Vote or Die" t-shirts, an album, a voter registration push in cities and campuses nationwide, and commercials on such outlets as [MTV](/source/MTV) and [BET](/source/Black_Entertainment_Television).<ref name="People"/>

===2008 United States presidential election===
Combs invoked the phrase, "[Obama](/source/Barack_Obama) or Die", at the [BET Awards 2008](/source/BET_Awards_2008).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Elsworth |first1=Catherine |title=P Diddy leads rapper 'shout out' for Barack Obama |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/2200788/P-Diddy-leads-rapper-shout-out-for-Barack-Obama.html |website=The Telegraph |accessdate=January 18, 2019}}</ref>

==In popular culture==

* In the ''[South Park](/source/South_Park)'' episode "[Douche and Turd](/source/Douche_and_Turd)", Combs and his associates chase [Stan Marsh](/source/Stan_Marsh) around with weapons and literally threaten to kill him if Stan does not vote. 
* In 2012, the "Vote or Die!" t-shirt concept was resurrected for the [Democratic National Convention](/source/Democratic_National_Convention) in the form of parody "Vote Obama" t-shirts.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Sean Combs}}

Category:Voter turnout organizations
Category:2004 United States presidential election in popular culture
Category:Youth politics
{{poli-org-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Citizen Change](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_Change) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_Change?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.