The Seattle Medium

by Jamisha Purdy
NNPA Special Correspondent
Originally posted 11/19/2008

WASHINGTON (NNPA) --The silent giant awoke on Election Day. America's Black youth dispelled their once apathetic political posture by translating pre-election passion into a powerful turnout on Nov. 4. The election is over, but this new political demographic has declared that the work is not done.

''Within the next 100 days we will really be mobilizing even harder,'' said Keri Fulton at the eighth annual Black Youth Vote Civic Leadership Training Conference, held in the nation's capital last week. ''Election Day was just the beginning. I will continue to work for the next 4, hopefully 8 years, to make sure Obama is the best president we've ever seen in this country.''

Black youth are organizing to help that to happen. As president-elect Obama transitions to power, they are taking their civic engagement to the next level -- building an agenda.

Black youth from around the nation gathered at the training conference. The three-day event, ''We Voted: Now What?'' focused on building an agenda on the state and national level, as well as on strategic ways to push the agenda.

Melanie Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, said that Black youth already understood there was a need for change, but ''now it's time to connect the dots in the political process...This is the first step. This is where you show your power,'' she said.

Black youth declared that they will no longer be the invisible political demographic. Some of the principle priorities on the Black youth agenda include the affordability of higher education, health care, the job market and the environment.

Carmen Berkley, recent college graduate and president of the U.S. Student Association, said youth around the nation have expressed ''great concern'' over the affordability of college. Berkley, who has $90,000 dollars in student loans, said college is ''too expensive.''

''In this country we act like going to school for free is such an imaginatory thing, but in Canada they go to school for free, in Europe they basically go to school for free,'' she said.

Jacqueline C. Ayers, a legislative representative for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America said health care is disproportionately affecting African-American youth.

Despite the $2 trillion a year spent on health care in the U.S., 44 million people are still uninsured, said Ayers, quoting common statistics.

''When we talk about communities of color, for African-Americans ages 19 to 29, they represent 36 percent of the uninsured,'' Ayers said. ''When we look at the reality of the lives of our young African American youth, we don't need a lot of statistics to tell us that the HIV-AIDS epidemic, that teenage pregnancy rates, sexually transmitted infections, impact disproportionately communities of color. "

The celebration may be over, but these youth say they will retain their Election Day momentum to hold their elected officials accountable.

''[We must] stay active, aware and mobilized,'' said Fulton. ''We can make a big difference in public policy.''

During the race for the White House, both candidates tapped into this new surge of voters. But according to Election Day exit polls, 68 percent of voters, ages 18 to 24, voted for Obama, a U. S. senator from Illinois, to become president. This is a number Berkley said Obama can never forget.

''I personally feel like president-elect Obama and the congress people actually owe it to the youth. They owe it to make sure that we're being taken care of not only in the next four years but in the next 25 years,'' Berkley said. ''We have to make sure that we are taken care of.''

Youth have fueled each other.

''Other Black voters excite me,'' Berkley said. ''When I see people that didn't want to engage in this process " and they're out standing in a three-hour line, they're out knocking on peoples doors that gives me energy.''

But it's going to take more than simple excitement to successfully affect policies. This road won't be easy, but it's not impossible Fulton declared.

''Taking the energy that brought us to the polls in the first place is going to keep us engaged for the next four years,'' Ayers said. ''Making sure we're really paying attention to the policies that are really impacting young African-American lives.''

Looking outside of the legislative lens, David Johns, an Education Policy Advisor for the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions said there are other ways to push for change. Another outlet, he said, is the media.

''It might sound funny coming from a representative from the Hill, but I want us to look beyond legislation,'' Johns said. "Hold the media accountable. I think it's important for us to push the media away from being sensational and being more about education.''

While Obama holds the highest position in the land, the entire weight of change doesn't rest on his shoulders. Change starts in local communities, according to D.C. Advisory Council representative Rebecca Thompson.

''It's what we do in our spare time, it's what we do on our weekend that's really going to matter and help him move forward in his agenda,'' Thompson said.

Before Obama's inauguration in January, Black Youth Vote! Coordinators are working to disburse an official agenda to state and local governments, the 111th Congress and the transition team.

But Black youth civic engagement won't end on Jan. 20.

''We need to continue to be about our business; advancing every agenda that each of us cares about," Johns said. "The work is not over, it wasn't over Nov 4, if won't be over Jan 20, it might not be over 2010. But we need to make sure we continue to do the work."