The Future Begins with a Voice
By Monet Heath
2020 is supposed to be a crucial year in my life. Despite the downpour of the Coronavirus pandemic, this year is significant to me because I will finally be able to vote. I unfortunately missed submitting my ballot for my states election because of complications due to moving to another state for school. I was upset but am extremely excited to be able to have my voice heard for the first time. As I begin writing this excerpt today it was sadly announced that Bernie Sanders dropped from the presidential race. I am extremely upset, but I realize that this election is extremely crucial and I have to still make a decision that affects my country in November. While scrolling through twitter on the day of Bernie Sanders announcement, I scrolled through Twitter just to pass time in these trying hours. There was a tweet that popped up from a student at my school that blew me away. The tweet said “If you vote for Joe Biden you’re a sell out.” This tweet appalled me.
Without diving into my political views greatly, I do believe that voting is necessary no matter what outcome. It allows for people to understand that you have a voice in the corrupt system that America has had since its formation. More importantly, my ancestors went through great battles just to be able to get the opportunity to do something as simple as check a name off of a piece of paper.
I began to question ways to promote consistent voting in the United States. If we can educate our youth better I believe that this will be the gateway to a significant change. The younger generation will begin to have a large say in the decisions that occur. What is the best way to inform them of the correct choices? Through the news and media.
I am currently a freshman at The Howard University in Washington DC. It is ironic that I attend school in the city the Nation's Capital where the President lives and makes all decisions. I chose to attend this great university because I knew the resources would be great to help me achieve my goals. These goals are rooted from growing up in Detroit, MI. The news was the first thing that came on when I got ready for school everyday and it inspired me to want to become a journalist in the future.
If I could provide news that is beneficial to helping my community grow, I know that the work I am doing will not go in vain. So, how does obtaining a degree in journalism and being so passionate about the decisions made in my country connect to my future self and future world?
Well, I believe it is a matter of principle. In today’s world, there are too many cases of false news being spread because people compete to be first instead of being accurate. This takes away the purpose of the news. It should serve to educate, to cause people to reflect, and inflict change in our world. I want to be the change to this stigma.
“I want to be able to provide news that educates our youth because we are the future.”
We need to understand who are the people that want to run our country, what their goals are, and what actions can be taken if you do not want to vote for primary elected officials. These simple actions can engage our youth and motivate them to take things such as politics very seriously.
We may be uncertain of what occurs in our future, especially if we consider our current conditions, but if our youth is engaged and involved, I am certain we will be okay. Overall, I just want to ensure that I can do whatever I can in my future career to say that I have changed the world.
