About

The BurgVotes.com was created in 2017 by The Power Broker magazine and The Weekly Challenger newspaper to “educate, inspire and activate” African American voters in St. Petersburg during a hotly contested election cycle. The St. Petersburg Bulletin News joined the project in 2021. The collaborative of three African American-led media organizations welcomes news and views that elevate issues of importance and provide quality insights, data and information to St. Petersburg’s Black electorate.

Meet Our Contributors

Gypsy C. Gallardo is Publisher of the Power Broker magazine, which pioneered The Southside Voter Guide in 2009. This website is the company’s first all-digital production. She is also CEO of Urban Market Analytics, a firm that helps to design, fund and evaluate place-based community economic development solutions (pictured here with her aunt and mentor Dr. Yvonne Scruggs-Leftwich). Reach Gypsy

Dr. Yvonne Scruggs-Leftwich  is a Political Scientist, an award-wining writer and is recognized as one of  the most significant thinkers and leaders in the modern civil rights community. She has authored several books, countless articles, and is a Smithsonian History Maker.

Lyn Johnson is Owner and Publisher of The Weekly Challenger newspaper, St. Petersburg’s legacy Black publication. She is a native of St. Pete and graduate of Eckerd College with a degree in History. Lyn worked in broadcast journalism before returning to the family business in 2012 to take the helm of the Challenger, a publication her father purchased in the 1960s. Reach Lyn.

Barbara Sorey-Love is an author and Publishing Editor of the St. Petersburg Bulletin News. She is a native of Clearwater, Florida and has made her home in St. Pete. In the community, Ms. Sorey-Love is a faithful member at Collins St. Mark AME Church and a founder of the St. Petersburg Business League, a member organization of primarily African American entrepreneurs. Reach Ms. Sorey-Love.

Bro. John Muhammad has been involved in grassroots organizing since joining the Nation of Islam in 1997 at age 21. He has a passion for uniting people and developing the next generation of leaders. Bro John is a Co-Founder of the Community Development And Training Center, a Florida Non-Profit that helps individuals and groups develop their potential and accomplish their personal and professional goals. Reach Bro. John

Esther Eugene, an entrepreneur and community leader, is also current President of the St. Petersburg Branch NAACP. By day, Esther is CEO of All Administrative Solutions. She provides advisory and operatoins management services to non-profit and corporate clients. In local civic networks, Esther has contributed to building new platforms for educating the broader community on candidate positions. She also serves on the Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) of the South St. Petersburg CRA and is a graduate of Leadership St. Pete. Reach Esther.