At this week's Round Table, Erina, Kenisha, and Madeline spoke with AMAZING 16-year old DJ Yearwood who is the founder of Vote16 Missouri, a nonpartisan state-wide initiative to lower the voting age to 16. DJ believes that advocacy and grassroots work are some of the most important steps of the civic and political change process and voiced his concerns surrounding lack of youth representation in political processes, securing youth rights, and supporting youth leadership.
DJ underscored that young people don’t lack the urge to participate politically— they often lack the *opportunity.* Youth are too often seen as inferior or even incompetent but he demonstrates that this should not stop us from being involved in decisions that affect our communities.. Everyone has the capacity to contribute and getting involved at any level— whether through advocacy, organizations, or even door knocking—can help address key civic issues. We need to move beyond performative activism. We should never be content with anyone ruling out an entire category of people. We need leadership at ALL levels. Thank you for listening!
