Prometheus 6   

Give Young Adults a Reason to Vote, Say Panelists

By civilrights.org staff
civilrights.org
July 25, 2003

Although the public tends to assume that youth apathy towards politics is a result of ignorance, panelists at the "Take Back America Conference" pointed instead to the fact that many young people do not "see the process as being legitimate" or connected to their own lives. Young political activists criticized politicians and parties as they speculated about the root of youth apathy in politics in one session at the conference, which was held by Campaign for America's Future.

Speakers attributed the lack of youth participation in the electoral process to the lack of attention politicians pay to issues relevant to young adults. One example given was the failure to adequately tackle the sources of youth criminality instead of focusing on punitive measures against juvenile delinquency after the fact.

Other panelists argued that youth culture is being ostracized instead of embraced by the political community. Instead of attempting to utilize and understand hip hop culture as an integral part of connecting with youth today, it is often seen as a menacing social force that causes more cleavage than unity. Panelists fought this misconception, giving examples of how to utilize hip hop culture in various capacities to mobilize youth and provide a medium in which they can become more politically involved.

Most importantly, panelists argued that politicians must not take their constituents for granted, regardless of age, making a specific reference to black voters. To make this happen, activists must increase efforts to raise issue awareness among both elected officials and potential voters.