- 11 minutes ago
In 2024, we are confronting a major election year with history and the rights of marginalized communities on the ballot. The disparities that Black and Brown people confront in this country are significant and growing from housing and employment to access to health care and access to capital. The Sundial Group of Companies which includes ESSENCE, the Global Black Economic Forum, Girls United, AfroPunk, BeautyCon and New Voices Foundation are coming together, along with our partners, to mobilize and ensure that we educate, mobilize and register voters to take action this November and into the future.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00We are joined tonight by two leaders running brands that speak specifically to young people.
00:05Rochelle Dennis is the head of Girls United, which is a global destination for young multicultural
00:11individuals to find the community, mentors, perspectives, tools, resources, and opportunity
00:17to thrive. We're also joined by Sophia Dennis, who is a Gen Z voting rights advocate and an
00:23entrepreneur. Hello, everybody. It's a pleasure to be here. As Alfonso has mentioned, we will
00:30really be getting into the topic of how young voters can really mobilize in this election to
00:37really speak to issues. So without further ado, I would like to introduce everybody to a very special
00:43guest that we have, and that will be Lene Vanee. How are you? Hey, everybody. How's it going? It's
00:52been a long day, but I'm good. A long day. It has been, but we're excited to have you here and
00:58excited to, you know, really get into it. So with that being said, you know, just wanted to really
01:05just understand like you being from Spelman and going to Spelman and also, you know, Boston
01:10University. What has it been like being in, you know, the field that you're in and really
01:19mobilizing young voters to vote? You know, I think I got my first degree in psychology from
01:28Spelman College. And there you learn that kids have the opportunity or young people have the
01:32opportunity to glean a lot from the environment around them. And they're really perceptible
01:36and absorb things like a sponge. And so it has not been difficult communicating with young people.
01:41I think 2020 brought us a lot of heartache, but it also brought us a catalyst for people to really
01:46be engaged and interested in the discourse surrounding Black people's rights and opportunity
01:51and the way we engage politically. So the ground has been set. And this election season is no
01:57different. There is air that keeps fanning the flames of young people getting ignited, wanting to
02:04be out there and wanting to be involved. So it's been very interesting to see a lot of young people
02:08take the lead. A lot of young people have voices larger than mine. You know, I think I get coined as
02:14like a voice that can speak directly to Gen Z. I'm a millennial. So I just try my best to make things
02:18as like down to earth as I possibly can to bring everybody to the table. But young people are really
02:23out here radicalized in a way that I never expected to see. And I kind of bring up an example quite often
02:29when I was a high school teacher, my kids used to ask me, did I ever think there could be another
02:34civil rights movement? And I would tell them no. I would tell them that I think that as a community,
02:38we are too individualized, we are too siloed and separated to understand one another's needs enough
02:44to come to the table. But I never expected to see anything like what I'm seeing right now. So my hat goes
02:49off to young people. And I'm just grateful to be in community with young people and learning from them
02:54as well in this work, because I have degrees in psychology and African American studies. And if you had asked
02:59me when I started this in 2020, I would not have assumed I'd be anywhere near politics. But that's kind of the last
03:05thing I'll say to answer this question. It is my love for Black history and my deep study of it that
03:11revealed to me that Black history does not exist without Black political action. Every single thing
03:16that we've done from the agency of enslaved people to outright televised revolutions and movements
03:23have all been political acts. So yeah, it only makes sense that we're here.
03:28That's wonderful. So I think based on the previous conversation, which was incredibly insightful,
03:34we can really think about voting not only as a part of civic engagement, but also almost as though
03:40it is a civic duty, also a right that was fought for by so many of the people before us. So when we're
03:46discussing Gen Z and the importance of the youth in the Gen Z vote, what are some of the things that
03:53you've learned about how Gen Z engages politically, and how we've been able to encourage certain people
04:00who have had questions about interacting politically, how to become politically active, how to find their
04:06political identity, and to just really forge their path as a political person looking to engage?
04:15Yeah, so the internet, point blank and simple, and apps, and I'm sorry, social media apps is really how
04:23young people are engaging. Interestingly enough, when we found out that Joe Biden would be stepping
04:30down and Kamala Harris would be taking the endorsement, or was getting the endorsement, rather,
04:36that week, I saw so many young people, and interestingly enough, as well, young white people
04:41hosting lives incessantly. I get on TikTok maybe once or twice a day, but throughout the week, I would
04:46see the same young people creators on live doing a lot of the work to sort of argue folks down. So
04:52young people are arming themselves with information to be able to come into public spaces where a lot
04:56of rhetoric is spewed to share the facts. I think young people are really interested in engaging in
05:01this combat against mis- and disinformation in a real way. So I'm really interested to see the way
05:09that this morphs and flows, but what I'm also seeing is a lot of organizations wanting to provide
05:16resources to meet that enthusiasm of young people. So I've been blessed to engage with this organization
05:21called Fair Fight and consulting on how they should be connecting with communities on social
05:26media, and they're providing a lot of resources, not just to myself, but just to the general public.
05:31And they enlighten me on quite a few ways people can get involved with voting, and I think they're
05:36really important. And again, I think we have such enthusiasm. I keep using that word because we just
05:41haven't had motivation like this in a long time. Like people from your grandmas, your aunties,
05:46down to the very young people wanting to have a voice and how we are voicing, wanting to have a
05:51voice and how we are voicing our concerns for this election. So I wanted to just kind of go through a
05:56couple of what those things were. I think when people think about volunteering around election,
06:01they think about going door to door to knock and get people to register to vote. You can absolutely do
06:06that. But something that was completely new to me was the whole idea of voter protection opportunities
06:11and volunteer roles. And so you have things like poll watchers, and these are people who are making
06:17sure that processes are being done as they need to be done, that there's no funny business. And after
06:25the last election that we have, we need people in those rooms to be doing those things. And you can
06:29be partisan or nonpartisan. It does not matter your affiliation. And really for all of these, it doesn't
06:34matter your affiliation. It just gives you an opportunity to be in the room. Before I go down the rest of the
06:39list, I just think that's the most important thing for us to consider here. The online space
06:43is a great space for discourse. We need to be in rooms where people making decisions can hear those
06:50voices and feel that sort of tension, feel that sort of pressure in ways. I'm a huge advocate. I won't
06:55say too much, but I don't want to see us give any more of our bodies or our blood. We can vote. We can
07:01use the power of our vote to make moves and make ways, and we've yet to use the full extent of our vote.
07:06So I need us in the rooms to actually apply that sort of pressure in legal ways. And there are so
07:11many legal ways to apply that pressure that we've not gotten into because we are angry. And there's
07:15nothing wrong with us being angry. But what I see is an amazing opportunity. A congresswoman in the
07:21last segment said that we are in a historical moment. And it's not just because we have the
07:24potential to elect the first Black woman president. It's because we as a nation have created or engaged in
07:31this nexus event to literally take the social contract theory back. And I know I'm supposed to be going down the
07:37list, but I'm-
07:38I want to-
07:40You're definitely getting into it. And what you've really talked about has been social media, right?
07:47Yeah. And really utilizing that to our advantage so that we're not putting our bodies on the line
07:51anymore. Can you give a little bit of context into how your series, Parking Lot Pimpin, really came
07:58about and how that has been a response or has been spread across social media to really inform people?
08:08Yeah. I think, like I said, I saw a desire and a need for the content and people actually wanting
08:15to hear more. When I was that high school teacher, I would teach upperclassmen, 11th and 12th graders.
08:20And so I had kids come into my classroom every semester just thinking they were going to take a
08:25freebie class because they thought they knew everything there was to possibly know about Black history
08:30because they've been taught the same things over and over and over again through their 12 years of
08:35education. And so in this moment where we're also getting the opportunity to legitimize and formalize
08:40African-American history in schools, we're also seeing that being attacked. So anyway, back to where
08:47I started, I actually went on a Juneteenth march with some organizations in my community. And that moment
08:54that I thought that I would never see that I was telling my kids, I don't think it's possible. I felt
08:58downtown Atlanta marching to the Capitol and not just my organization was out that day, but so many
09:04hundreds of thousands of people were coating the streets and having an amazing time and so many
09:08different people of so many different colors. And you had folks with signs talking about or referencing
09:15cultural connection points and movements for freedom and organizations between Black and Latinos,
09:20Black and Asians, Black and white folk, had people making sandwiches. This was COVID times,
09:25you had people with medic packs and masks and people wearing gloves and being mindful. And so anyway,
09:30I went and sat in my parking lot because I felt like everything I prepared myself for,
09:34all the Black history bees and going to get that MA that nobody told me I was going to be able to use
09:38outside of being a professor. I wanted to share that with the world in a way that was fun, in a way that
09:45met that sort of desire with something that didn't feel like it was stuffing it down their throat. And it
09:51wasn't just me. I actually remember when I was getting started figuring out how I wanted to do mine,
09:55I was inspired by people like Consciously. I would see folks like, I ain't gonna name a whole bunch
10:00of names, but I saw a bunch of creators on the internet. And whether I fully agreed with their
10:05perspectives or their approaches or not, I found space for myself in that and connected directly
10:11with the community that was looking to hear those things. So that's how I got started. And that's how
10:16it stuck. The people wanted it and they wanted to share it.
10:18That's amazing. So I think you've discussed how you've been able to build up quite a bit
10:26of a social media following and to get young people engaged in the content that you produce
10:31and to really be able to create a message behind the content that you've produced. You were going
10:38through a list of different ways that people can become involved in the political process that are
10:43just not the typical way that you would think about it. So earlier this week, I watched a video of
10:48yours where you were discussing this, where you were talking about ways that people can become
10:52involved in the political process. And I'm going to let you go down that list, but I did just want
10:56to call out that this is something that can be super useful to people who may not be able to vote.
11:02Whether that be for whatever reason that is, maybe you're not old enough to vote yet. Maybe you have
11:07some sort of other reason that you're not able to vote. But just letting you know that there are so
11:13many ways for people to be involved in the political process, even if you are not able to vote in this
11:19election. So whether you're not 18 yet, and you know, you really want to be involved in the political
11:24process because you will become an adult under this political term, or you're not a citizen, whatever the
11:31case may be, what Lene is about to describe are different ways that you can become involved in this
11:36process. And for the people who are voting, these are ways that you can become even more involved and
11:41learn a lot more about the political process. So yeah, I would love for you to continue to
11:46discuss some of the ways that people can become more involved.
11:49Okay, great. So we already went over a poll watcher and I told you these are people who are making sure
11:54the process of voting from the folks who are tasked with, you know, taking your identity, your
11:59identification and giving you your ballot and all the things that making sure all these things are done
12:04by the book that there's no funny business happening. You also have poll observers who are folks who are
12:10making sure people who are engaging in the voting process, how close they are to one another, making
12:16sure that they are doing what they are supposed to do as far as protecting the privacy of every voter.
12:21You got hotline volunteers. And these people are really important for community, especially because
12:27all of us have so many questions around voting. So hotline volunteers are based and provided for
12:35community to be able to call in and ask questions about where their precinct is, the hours you have
12:39to vote, the earliest that you can vote, maybe some rules around what you can and cannot bring to the
12:44voting precinct and just some things that you should be aware of. Story collection, which I think a lot of
12:50young people would be interested in. Story collection just involves talking to people about their experience
12:55voting. And I want to be clear that nothing that anyone on this entire call today is offering,
13:04nothing we're offering you is perfect. Nothing we're offering you is scot-free or the epitome of
13:10democracy. We're here fighting for it. We're here fighting for the opportunity to make it something
13:14all of us feel good about engaging in. So story collection allows for us to record critiques. It allows
13:21us to see what community wants from the voting process. And I feel like a lot of folks, we,
13:26young people with their phones in their hands, we could do this anyway. It would be an amazing
13:30thing to see us trading stories like this. But it's important to be connected to community
13:34organizations that have networks and are platforming those networks to make that information accessible
13:39to people who do not have social media. And I know you think that everybody has it, but everybody
13:44doesn't. And this information is so important for people who need to get it or access it off of the
13:50phones, off of the timeline. Maybe their algorithm just might not show them something that is super
13:54important for their ears to hear. So story collection I think is a very beautiful way to volunteer and I
13:58think directly connects with younger audiences and how they want to be engaged. But here are two things
14:06that I think we need to engage in in droves. As I said on my video last week, whenever I did it,
14:12board of election volunteers and state election board volunteers.
14:16In order to volunteer, what your job description would be is to go attend these meetings. You can
14:24see what their agendas are online the night before. You can, and I'm reading to make sure that I'm not
14:31saying anything incorrectly, but you can basically register to make public comment and go into these
14:38rooms and discuss the benefits of certain goings on for certain voters and then the cons of certain
14:46goings on for voters. And what I mean by that is these board of elections are the people who get to
14:51make decisions about they can't drink water in line. They can't do this as any other. They can't sit in a
14:58chair. So a lot of these things are also being this, a lot of this is voter suppression under the covert
15:04nature of policy, the covert umbrella of policy. And by going to these meetings, you can suss out
15:10exactly what's being done and try to circumvent your community from having an active voice in voting.
15:16And you can take it back home. You can take it back to your neighborhoods. You can take it to the
15:19trap houses like Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett was just talking about. I've been seeing this amazing
15:24pastor, Pastor Radonis Bryan here in Atlanta, going and talking to people who look exactly like him.
15:31And granted, he's a pastor, so he's ministering, but he's doing the type of work that I need to see
15:35all of us doing. And that's engaging people you don't think would engage because every single vote
15:39counts. So by going to these meetings, you get all the tools that you need. You can also share this,
15:44like I said, with the organizations that platform like Fair Fight to be able to make this information
15:48widely accessible to folks. But these are some of the biggest rooms to be in. So I definitely suggest
15:53board of election volunteering and state election board volunteering and being what's called a pro
15:58voter voice. And then the last thing is a poll worker. These are the people who actually sign
16:02up to staff the polls. But yeah, a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot. I just went through the list, Fair Fight
16:08Action. And I'm sorry, Fair Fight as well as Let's Freaking Go Volunteer has all this information on
16:15their site and you can assign it by state. So yeah, for sure. But as an Atlantan who knows what it's like,
16:22knows what it's like for my voting rights to be decided upon behind closed doors. Yeah. Scared, shaken,
16:31not really trying to engage. I'm so excited to learn about opportunities like this because it
16:37lets me know that I don't just have to sit with my hands, sitting on my hands. And that's one of the
16:42biggest, most important things. If you do not vote, I understand, again, none of this is perfect. None of these,
16:50in a nonpartisan way of speaking, none of these candidates are exactly perfectly what we want,
16:55what everyone wants. You cannot make everybody happy. But if we do not vote, we cannot be engaged.
17:01And I'm not just asking you to vote for primary. I'm asking you to vote down ballot. So again,
17:05we can get the House, we can get the Senate. I'm also asking you to vote in your local elections,
17:10down to the sheriff, down to the, to the councilwoman and all the things. Yeah.
17:14And it's an important habit to pick up. If you start voting at a young age, you tend to continue
17:22to vote as you get older. So it's good to start voting as soon as you can, so that you can continue
17:28to stay civically engaged. Yeah. And, you know, there's a lot of issues at stake and some of the
17:37issues that, you know, we're, we're seeing Gen Z really, you know, really take up and, and really
17:43coming to the polls concerned about is, you know, cost of living, gun reform, job wages, racism, and
17:51student debt, you know, all reflective of these past couple of years, you know, that we've had. And
17:57it just shows how much is really at stake, especially, you know, with the attacks on DEI,
18:03you know, on affirmative action, you know, and times are really scary, you know, people are,
18:08what we're really categorizing this election as is, it's an attack on democracy. And so, you know, Gen Z,
18:16this is what the future looks like for us. So there's a lot of concern there. You know,
18:23there's not an understanding of what that future will look like. And, you know, the fact that we
18:28have an active role to play in making sure that we are ensuring our future is, is important. So,
18:35you know, everything that you've mapped out is super important. So, you know, what are ways that,
18:40like, even people that can't vote, right, people that are, you know, not eligible to vote, what,
18:45what can they do? What can they, you know, what can they also bring to the table as well?
18:52I think, though, a lot of things that I just mentioned, you can engage in whether you can
18:57register to vote or not. And I think it's important that you still do that. I think it's important that
19:01you still remain in the conversation. And one of the biggest gaps that I'm seeing is
19:09the chasm between the rhetoric that is being spewed within community online
19:16and what we do when we go to the polls. So even if you can't vote, something that I'm encouraging
19:21a lot of people to do is recognize that a lot of rhetoric that we are falling victim to and
19:26vulnerable to that is anti-community is actually preventing us from moving forward in a strategic
19:31and unified way. I'm doing my best to develop opportunity and programming to go into community
19:37and have these conversations like focus groups with Black men, women, queer folk, they, them,
19:42young, old, to talk about what we need to see from one another to feel protected. And I feel like that
19:48is like step one. That's step one. And we're trying to do both at the same time because unfortunately,
19:52we're in a game of catch up. But if you cannot vote, and for whatever reason you cannot vote,
19:56and I'm specifically thinking about maybe offenders who have had their right to vote taken away,
20:01being in community with people who are actively engaged in voting helps them to continue to
20:06remember to think of you. We're only going to move forward if we're in community. And so yes,
20:11it is on us to make sure that we are aware of our community's needs, but we have to sit at the
20:16table together in order for everyone's needs to be on the whiteboard. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Having the
20:25conversations, building community, being aware of what other community members are in need of,
20:32what their concerns may be, how, you know, things that Rochelle just listed out may impact them
20:38differently. And how, you know, all of us can exercise our vote to be as beneficial as possible is,
20:48you know, is I think all we can, all we can do and all we can hope for. We are so happy that we were
20:58able to have you, Lene. Anything else that you would like to share with the audience?
21:03You, it sounds cliche. And I feel like unfortunately, we've said a lot of these things without
21:13the sort of organization and activation necessary to really see them through, to make them real.
21:20But you cannot have a voice if you do not vote. You simply cannot. I hate to say it. I hope it
21:25don't sound ridiculous. I wish there was more that you could, there is more that you can do. And we've
21:29sort of named so many things surrounding voting, but that is the key to, as I said earlier, us taking
21:36the social contract theory back. Our government was designed to protect the people. And in return,
21:40the people were supposed to empower the government. And we've seen over and over again, it counts this
21:44time, whether in our states or whether in this country, nationally, we have asked for things
21:50from our government that we have not received. We have been ignored blatantly. And so we have to
21:56engage even further to push back. Yeah. And what a great way to end and great way to end, you know,
22:05everything that you're saying. Like we, we've got, we've got to get to the polls and do what we need
22:10to do. I do want to encourage the audience also to submit their questions. And we will be answering
22:16them very shortly. Lynnae, thank you so much for being on with us. This has been absolutely amazing.
22:25And, you know, we're, we're really excited to see the youth really get to the polls and vote. So thank
22:31you for everything that you're doing.
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