Student writers from Howard University’s (HU) The Hilltop, one of the nation’s oldest collegiate publications, created and planned the April 5 Election Education Summit for students to engage in meaningful conversations about voting on campus.
“The event is a reminder to the younger generation that our vote is a powerful expression of our beliefs and aspirations for the communities we live in,” shared panelist Julianna Boye, president of HU College Democrats. “Issues close to our hearts, such as student loans, women’s rights and racial injustices, should serve as our driving force when we engage in the electoral process.”
In the panel “The Future of the Black Vote,” moderated by political journalist Vanessa Williams, Boye spoke alongside Michael Steele, Maryland’s former Republican lieutenant governor.
Alison Bethel, editor-in-chief of State Affairs, guided the conversation centered around the theme, “Empowering Voices: The role of Black journalists in election year politics.”
“During a time where we’re facing arguably one of the most important elections of my generation, it is important for the student body and African Americans in general to be informed of not only the election process, but the need to vote and the need to really examine who would be best for our communities,” said Bethel, who previously supported young journalists as the vice president of Corps Excellence at Report for America.
She was the first woman and first person part of the African diaspora to head the International Press Institute. Her experience covering politics in the District dates back to over two decades ago while serving as the Washington Bureau Chief for the Detroit News during the 2001 Bush administration. Now, Bethel is working to involve the younger generation of Black students in thought provoking conversations surrounding the election.
“ I think I should also mention that one of the crucial themes and topics that came up from panelists is the number of African Americans who are sort of migrating or even leaning heavily towards voting for Trump in this upcoming election,” said Bethel. “It’s important to talk to Black Americans about their choices, what they see in Donald Trump, what they see in Biden and how they can leverage their vote for the betterment of our people. There’s a lot of mistrust and misinformation.”
Yolanda Caraway, Leah D. Daughtry and Minyon Moore who co-authored “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics,” with Donna Brazile and Veronica Chambers in 2018, also attended the event.
Howard University has engaged elected officials in educating students on campus in a personal environment. This past year, the university announced its decision to hire Steele and former Georgia state representative Stacey Abrams whose advocacy for voter empowerment sparked similar initiatives across the nation.
“Howard University has a strong tradition of encouraging student voices to be heard. Whether educating the student body about various student government organizations through special events and forums or providing insight into the pressing issues of our time through our century-old student newspaper, The Hilltop, their perspectives and engagement remain paramount to ensuring they remain engaged and informed,” said Cynthia Evers, Howard’s vice president of Student Affairs.
Evers emphasized Howard’s dedication to promoting the power of voting through campus-wide initiatives.
“In addition to our commitment as a university, Howard University President Ben Vinson, III recently signed the ALL IN Challenge, which commits our campus to build voter awareness and encourage voting activity for our students through a variety of programming and outreach activities.”
The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge empowers colleges and universities to achieve excellence in nonpartisan student democratic engagement through voter registration and other incentives. In addition to this effort, students at Howard are leading the University Initiative on Public Opinion (HU Polling Initiative), which conducts national polls on issues relevant to Black and Latinx communities. So far, the institution has presented studies analyzing Black voters in Michigan, Super Tuesday and a general election poll in partnership with the National Newspaper Publishers Association. Those results can be found here.
“Events such as the Election Education Summit are important ahead of an election as it allows political dialogue to be had amongst students, educators, and politicians,” Jasper Smith, the Hilltop’s editor-in-chief, expressed. “As a student journalist, I understand that we are in a misinformation crisis. I hope that more colleges, specifically HBCUs, have more events to dispel political misinformation and teach students about the power they have as voters.”
