Young People Care if You Care To Look for Them

GUEST OPINION

Josue Barnes and Noah Winnick (Photo – claremontchange.org)

I first met Josue Barnes in a video meeting on Nov. 19, 2020. Josue is a product of Claremont public schools, a 28-year-old African American biomedical research student, and co-founder of Claremont Change, a grassroots organization dedicated to racial justice and equity.

By Tina Fredericks

How did I, a Pasadena mom, come to meet Josue? I went looking for him and people like him – young emerging Democratic leaders in Assembly District 41 to run for delegate of the California Democratic Party. Our party needs the energy, conscience, and savvy of young activists like Josue as California and the nation face the immense challenges ahead.

For weeks, I scoured the district for young activists. As a result, at least seven candidates who are younger than thirty years old are running for election and five are first-time candidates. As a former high school teacher, I believe in the power of young people. They are caring, socially, and environmentally conscious, tech-savvy, multi-tasking experts, and fast-learners. They understand the existential threats facing us: global pandemic, climate catastrophe, income inequality, and endless wars. They are ready to take on these challenges if they have the opportunity.

If any group of people can solve our global problems, it’s this generation. But the media and our party don’t take them seriously enough. So, is it surprising that there aren’t more young voters? We have to actively seek young people and convince them that they are valued. We need young leaders who can speak the language and share the same experience of young voters.

Democrats often quote Shirley Chisholm, the first African American U.S. presidential candidate, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” Here is the opportunity to nurture a new generation of leaders not just in our party, but also in our community. How will you respond to seven exceptional leaders who are bringing their own folding chairs to the table?

Tina Fredericks is running for re-election as a delegate to the California Democratic Party convention. She has organized a slate of fourteen candidates, the majority of whom are people of color, called Democrats for Justice.