News

With the 2020 Presidential Election only a few months away, young people are aware of the power of their voice and the necessity of their vote. However, young people, especially young people of color, face very real and serious challenges when it comes to voting. At The Andrew Goodman Foundation’s Take Your Power Back Weekend, young activists spoke about the importance of understanding and addressing the needs of underrepresented communities. We can do this by reaching out to these communities, listening to their needs, and most importantly, asking how to help. As activist Blair Imani stated during the “Intersectional Advocacy at the Polls” breakout, “these kids aren’t given the tools and resources they need. You can’t Google something about voting if you don’t even know that it exists to be able to search for.” Whether these challenges stem from outright voter suppression, economic inequality, or a lack of education on the issues and voting process, young people can work in their spaces to address these concerns and take their community back.

The 2020 Presidential Election will be one of the most crucial elections in recent history. Nationally, three crises threaten America: voter suppression, COVID-19, and systemic racism. Fortunately, student voters can influence how these threats are handled. For the first time, Millennial and Gen Z voters will compose over a third of the electorate! With this in mind, The Andrew Goodman Foundation launched “Take Your Power Back Weekend,” a virtual summit featuring multiple panels of activists across all backgrounds to encourage student voters to recognize their influence, agency, and power.

To play back all of Take Your Power Back Weekend, watch our playlist.

About the Author

Rachel Sondkar is the Communications Associate at The Andrew Goodman Foundation. She recently graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, where she was previously an Andrew Goodman Ambassador.