At this week's Round Table, Kenisha, Madeline, and Maya spoke with Alexa Whaley, Media Coordinator, for the Millennial Action Project (MAP) The Millennial Action Project has an audacious mission: activate young leaders to bridge the partisan divide and transform American politics. Its vision is of a diverse democracy where the political culture is grounded in empathy and leaders pursue innovative policy solutions. The Millennial Action Project works directly with our nation’s leading young policymakers on both a national and state level to bridge the partisan divide and lead a new era of collaborative governance. Through her role, Alexa helps MAP amplify its message, perspective, and membership through digital media and press outlets. She passionately believes we all can and must come together around generational issues like climate change, housing, and criminal justice–and MAP is committed to serving as a conduit for doing so. Growing up in a Conservative Christian background and attending an evangelical college majoring in political science led Alexa to want to work in politics without forgetting roots or leaving communities she cares about behind. This made MAP a perfect match, enabling Alexa to use all parts of her tool kit and ideological background in working with lots of bridge builders who are passionate about not silencing the other side. We spoke about the ‘secret sauce’ of how MAP works with young elected officials across divides; the role of the media and social media in creating divisiveness—and how MAP is trying to become a go-to resource for young people on how to navigate politics; why ours is the largest generation registering Independent; and the power of bringing one’s full self to politics without having to hold to a party orthodoxy. Thank you for listening!
