#Next20 Episode 2: Making every vote count.

Powerhouses in voting rights and education Kyle Lierman and LaTosha Brown, plus Gen Zers Chloe Mason & Dylan Wilkes from Jack and Jill Inc join episode 2 of #Next20 to talk about the privilege of casting your vote and making it count.

Video Transcript

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DIANA ALVEAR: Hi. I'm Diana Alvear. And welcome to #Next20, a series of conversations in honor of Verizon's 20 years of service. And we are talking about all sorts of issues that affect all of us. We're talking race, social justice, environmental technology, and business issues. And these are the issues that will be defining the next 20 years.

Now, each episode is going to be featuring emerging and established change makers. And we're going to be exploring the inspiration behind activism and ideas that are going to create a better future for all of us.

Now, our first #Next20 episode aired Wednesday, July 8, Build by Yahoo, Huff Post, and other Verizon channels. And we talked about criminal justice reform. Well, today I have the honor and privilege of talking about voting. It is so important to 2020-- a huge election year. We've got a presidential election, so many important down-ballot issues and races going on.

And I have a fantastic panel. Lots of change makers are with us here today to talk about voting and why it's so important. So let's go ahead and introduce the people that are here today.

And we've got LaTosha Brown. She is the co-founder of Black Voters Matter, a power-building, Southern-based civic engagement organization. She is an esteemed writer, speaker, and consultant on voting, politics, race, and civic strategy and engagement, just to name a few of the things that she's an expert on.

We've also got Kyle Lierman. He is the CEO of When We All Vote, an organization dedicated to increasing participation in every election and closing the race and age voting gap. They've been putting on some insanely good virtual concerts. Big fan of Questlove. Love watching those.

We also have Chloe Mason, Senior Team President of Greater Essex County, Jack and Jill of America Incorporated, and Dylan Wilkes, Senior Team Legislative Chair, Greater Essex County, Jack and Jill of America Incorporated.

So thank you so much for being here with us today. And we're to start with Kyle and LaTosha, because I want to know a little bit about your organizations. We've been seeing so much of your group's work in the news today. And I want to find out, first of all, why did these organizations become founded? And what is the importance? What are you trying to accomplish? Kyle, let's start with you.

KYLE LIERMAN: Well, first, thanks so much for having me. And it's great to be on with my fellow panelists, all of whom are doing just absolutely incredible work around the country. And When We All Vote partners with Jack and Jill. And so I know we've been doing some really great work with you guys. So it's wonderful to see you.

As you said, When We All Vote is on a mission to increase participation in every election and close the age in race voting gap. We're a nonpartisan organization. And we were launched in July of 2018 by Michelle Obama and by a number of other co-chairs with incredible reach across the country.

And Mrs. Obama was particularly interested in launching this effort because she talked about how she wanted to break the cycle of people voting in big-- you know, big, national presidential elections and then not voting in some others, and thinking about the issue of voting as bigger than any one candidate, one issue, or one party. It was about people using their voices, people using their power. And voting is, you know, one of the best ways for people to make sure that the government reflects their values, reflects their community.

And so that's why we launched in 2018 before the midterms. We did a lot of work in 2019 in state and local elections. And now we're gearing up with-- my fellow panelists, I know, are doing the same thing-- for a huge election. And we want to just harness all of the incredible energy across the country and make it as productive as possible to make sure we're getting folks on the voter rolls, that we're getting them and helping them have the ability to vote safely.

So that means voting by mail. That means voting early, and still, certainly, voting on election day in some instances. But the mission behind this is that voting is fundamental to a successful democracy. And when not enough people vote, our democracy is not as strong and our country is not as strong here.

DIANA ALVEAR: Here, here. Thank you so much, Kyle. And, LaTosha, lady, you've been boots on the ground for months now trying to get the vote out. Tell me a little bit about your organization and why this is such a huge passion for you.

LATOSHA BROWN: So I am co-founder, along with Cliff Albright, of Black Voters Matter Fund and Black Voters Matter Capacity Building Institute. And so my entire adult life has been dedicated to doing this work. One, about I truly believe in democracy. And I do think that we're in a space that we've got to strengthen democracy and making sure that we're strengthening access to the ballot.

And so ultimately, the work that we do, we're a power-building organization. We're based in Atlanta, but we're working in 12 states. And we work in cities in other states, as well. Our goal is to actually help build infrastructure of grassroot, black-led organizations. We work, at any point, from 150 to 200 black-led organizations where we provide support, resources, strategy support, and lift up the work that is happening. We think that the way that change will happen in America is from the ground up, not the top down.

And so ultimately, we're strengthening the base of people that are doing this work and some of the people-- organizations that we're working with, they're doing work around reproductive rights and reproductive justice. There are some groups that are actually-- they do voting work and civic engagement work. But there are some groups that are actually doing work around police violence, ending police violence, and work around education reform.

And so ultimately, our goal is to build a network of grassroot organizations that help them build their capacity so, in fact, that they can do the work that they need to do to build power, because we know all politics are local. And oftentimes, local organizations get lost in the mix, particularly when we're talking about presidential elections, federal elections, and state elections.

So that's our work. And we do our work kind of like in three buckets. So the first bucket is really building the capacity. The second bucket is really being able to meet the need. So even now, during the COVID-19 health crisis, we've been doing a lot of work around COVID-19. And third, we believe, because a lot of this work is around advocacy-- that we're doing advocacy and voting rights work-- it can also be traumatic and very stressful. So we believe in generating black joy and love. So a lot of the work that we do with actually rooted in culture and creating and bringing joy and creating joy in our community.

DIANA ALVEAR: I love it. Thank you so much. All right. You know, 2020 has been this seismic year for change. I mean, we knew that 2020 was going to be a big year for voting. And then, you know, COVID-19 hit, which upended everything. And then all of this change began to happen and these protests and this movement when we saw the videos of what happened to Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. And now, going into these elections, we're faced with a very motivated electorate.

So I'm going to start with you, LaTosha. Tell me how the confluence of all of these things coming together weeks before these elections are beginning, during the primaries, how is this affecting your activism?

LATOSHA BROWN: (SINGING) Well, the first thing I did right was the day I started to fight. Keep your eyes on the prize and hold on. Hold on.

I am a native of Selma, Alabama. And this is-- my life it's like a confluence of all of this. This is the 55th anniversary of the voting rights movement in this country. In August, that would be the 55th year of the passage of the Voting Rights Act.

Yet we're still dealing with issues around voter suppression and making sure that people have free and fair access to the ballot. And so what we see right now is this really unique opportunity to really not bury our heads in the sand, but to actually move this country forward-- that there is a lot of unfinished business that we've had in this country. This country has not dealt with structural racism as it needs to deal with. This country has not dealt with some unfinished business around voting rights that it needs to deal with, as well.

And so communities, what I think is really beautiful that's happening right now, you know, is that communities all over this country in all 50 states in America, there were protests and uprisings around really addressing these issues of police brutality and the value of black life, and literally addressing structural racism.

We saw a multiracial, multigenerational level of people that we-- the largest protest that we've ever seen in this country. I think that's saying something. One, what that is saying is that in this moment, it is the opportune time for us to really advance ourselves to really move that much closer to become the America that we all deserve.

Because we're not there. In many ways, many folks have had their head the sand and assume that we've already created this space around democracy. No. There's a fragility of democracy that we see and witness every single day. If anybody, if there's any person that does not have free and fair access to the ballot, then that's a threat of democracy for all of us.

And so in this moment, I think we're in this very transformative moment, that-- I call it a moment of reckoning-- that everything has been exposed. What COVID-19 has done is expose the weaknesses in this health care system in this country. It's exposed the economic system. Here we are, even after two months, the country couldn't even-- the supposed to be the wealthiest country in the world could not sustain her people for two months. Right, so there's some economic issues in the country. We're looking at the education system.

We have been exposed. The beauty about that is it creates and brings things to the surface, so for us to really deal with the fundamental work that we've been avoiding and just stepping over.

So what I think in this moment is that I don't think that it's just about the election. I think that we are in a moment to radically reimagine an America that we all deserve, an America that values human life and human beings, America that really is espousing so become a democracy-- right, a democracy that has free and fair access to the ballot and that we make it easier for people to vote-- not an additional burden, right-- and that we have systems and processes that actually support the citizens-- the very people who are creating the wealth in this country actually benefit from that.

And so I think that this is that moment that is really transformative. And what makes me happy are young people who are literally demanding-- they're stepping in this space and this leadership. I'm not seeing kind of the generations-- I'm in Generation X.

And so, you know, this is, like, really interesting. Like, the last big movement, for the most part, was in the 1960s. It was right before I was born-- was in the civil rights movement, right. And so now we're at this particular place where I think the culmination from the civil rights movement, voting rights movement. But also the demand of what people and citizens are saying that they want now, we're in that opportune time.

So I don't think that this is just about the election. I think the election is just one inflection point and opportunity for us to really either go backwards or go forward as a nation.

DYLAN WILKES: Absolutely. And I think that what you're talking about, really, is the power of this moment. You know, I mean, we're talking about this moment is pregnant with possibility about all the good things that could be coming out of this as a result of activism and working toward justice and progress.

And, Kyle, I want to turn to you. Because your organization is deliberately named "When We All Vote." But let's be honest. We've seen a lot of evidence out there through some of these primaries that show they don't want everybody to vote, OK. I mean, we've seen so many roadblocks. Look at Kentucky where Charles Booker and Amy McGrath had to petition the courts to keep those polls open when they'd been standing in lines and there's a pandemic.

So, Kyle, why is your organization doing to maximize access to voters, when clearly there seem to be some sort of voter suppressions underway? At least from my perspective.

KYLE LIERMAN: You know, we talk about changing the culture around voting. We have to change the culture. And what that means is, one, we need to make sure folks understand, voting in and of itself is not a partisan issue. There are people who use it as a partisan wedge. There are anti-voting leaders and anti-voting systems out there. But that's why-- one of the reasons we're a nonpartisan organization, is because we have to break down that concept that voting is a partisan issue.

Two, the protests, one, obviously created an incredible amount of energy around change in stopping police brutality and criminal justice reform. But also on the voting front, they basically caused a swell in energy in voting activity. And so we registered tens of thousands of people to vote in June. We had over 400 companies and organizations reach out to us in June to partner with When We All Vote.

And part of changing the culture around voting is also, every American, every organization, every school, every leader understanding that it is part of their role as a citizen not only to vote, but to help others vote. And those 400 organizations and companies coming forth is a-- is an example of that. So the protests in and of themselves have done more to change the culture around voting than frankly anything we could have done as an organization. It's been truly phenomenal.

So, you know, in terms of-- you mentioned Kentucky in the pandemic-- this goes back to voting not being a partisan issue. There is a debate in Congress right now about whether or not we should fully fund our elections. How is that a debate? [CHUCKLES] You know, we need to fund our election system so that they can run smoothly, run fairly, and so that folks have safe and fair and accessible access to voting across the country.

Not everyone is going to vote. That's their choice. I disagree with it. I wish everyone would. But we have to make sure that that option is available to everyone, whether they need to be able to vote by mail. We shouldn't have a de facto poll tax by making people pay for it. It should be pre-paid postage envelopes.

We need to keep early voting locations open and expand those across the country. We need to keep election day polling locations open. And there needs to be more than one.

One of the things you saw in Kentucky was Louisville only had one large space open. They did-- they had-- they did have problems there. But also, not everyone can get places. I mean, transportation is a huge issue. And so we need to make sure we're recruiting the new generation of poll workers to staff the polls.

So voting is not a partisan issue. We have to make sure we're pushing everybody to understand that. And anyone who is against these reforms, anyone who is against providing the funding is really against our democratic system. And so we've got to break through that. And we need that swell of voices.

The last thing I'll just say that we've been-- we've been doing at When We All Vote is connecting voting to protesting. What we talked a little bit about at the beginning-- and I think LaTosha's point was great-- it's not just about this election. Voting in this election is not going to be enough. If people vote and then are not engaged afterwards, change isn't going to come.

But voting is an important lever. So we've been trying to educate folks about how voting is connected to-- you know, affects the different issues that are important to them. Also, voting up and down the ballot. So we've been talking to folks about how you elect your sheriff oftentimes. You elect your DA. You elect your state's attorney. You elect your state legislature, your mayor. All of those issues are connected directly to criminal justice reform and police accountability. And so voting is a critical piece of it. But it's not the whole thing.

DIANA ALVEAR: I'm going to say with you, Kyle. And briefly, I want you to tell me-- because I'm going to come right back to LaTosha to speak about the same issue-- I think that the fact that we have social media now has really changed the game.

I mean, the fact that you can go on Twitter and find out so much information, so many different perspectives. And, yes, it has its drawbacks to go on Twitter. Sometimes I need to just put the phone down, and that's enough of Twitter for the day.

But tell me how social media has come into play when it comes to getting more people to vote. Specifically, I mean, I'm thinking of your concerts that you had on Instagram Live. And they're blowing up. And the comments are going crazy. And you actually got results from those. So tell me about the role that social media is playing in your efforts right now.

KYLE LIERMAN: It's a critical tool to get folks the right information. But it's also sometimes a pretty horrible place where a lot of wrong information gets out. So we did some research and found out what we already knew to a certain extent, that the most important thing for someone to vote is them hearing from a friend or a family member. They need to hear from a trusted voice about how to vote, when to vote, where to vote.

And so we're working through social media, as well as through texting programs and through organizations like Jack and Jill and the AKAs and the Deltas and National Urban League and United Way to build networks of tens of thousands of individuals across the country who become voting squad captains. And that means they build teams to reach out to their friends and their families about the importance of registering and the importance of voting. And they help guide them through the process.

Because you can't just expect people to look on Twitter or look on Instagram or look on Facebook or TikTok and know exactly what to do. Because it's a mess. They need to be able to hear from real people.

So when we organize young people, when we work with them, or, you know, up and down the age spectrum, use social media as a tool. But text people. You send them DMs. You tweet at them. You post at them.

And then it's been an enormous tool for broad-based organizing. So you mentioned some of the concerts that we've done. God bless DJ D-Nice. He's an-- he's been the soundtrack to my family's evening's many a night over the last several months.

And we've partnered with him twice for something we called our "Voting Couch Parties." And we've had our volunteers on. And while they've been on, they've been texting-- they texted 500,000 voters across the country. And even in his livestream itself, he had the voter registration link at the bottom. And he was shouting out voting like every 10 minutes. It was awesome.

DIANA ALVEAR: Oh, and every time that Michelle Obama appeared, people went nuts. Like, I-- it was like explosions of hearts everywhere.

KYLE LIERMAN: Well, it was the best. And he was actually their DJ at the house-- at the White House many times. And so we had a relationship with him. But he's just been phenomenal.

And then we saw a ton of artists come together for, I believe was the 13th Annual Roots Picnic. Couldn't do it in person in Philadelphia like it's normally done. But we wanted to make sure that that was brought to folks across the country. And so over 500,000 people across the country watched that event live. And we really deeply integrated voting into it, police accountability and criminal justice issues into it, and making sure folks just can see correct information when they're on social media because they're getting so much misinformation there.

DIANA ALVEAR: Yeah. And, LaTosha, let's talk a little bit about social media as well, briefly. Because I know in your case, you've literally had the bus ready to take people to the polls. But tell me how social media is impacting your activism.

LATOSHA BROWN: You know, what's really interesting, I think a couple of things that we've been able to do, we have-- as you mentioned earlier, we have the "blackest bus in America" that we've been taking around the country. But because of COVID-19, what we had to do is, she had to go virtual.

And so we've been having virtual bus tours throughout-- we just did our 11th state yesterday. And so what we've been doing is using social media and the social media platforms to really be able to connect to our organizations and to people to let them know what we're doing, some of the other groups, of what they're doing, but also to stay safe.

Because I think it's a false choice when we think people have to really-- I've got to not be safe and vote. No. We want people to be safe and live and vote and to find these. And some of the process we're talking about, early voting and absentee ballot voting, that's a new-- that's new for folks. And so in that process, so there's an education component that goes along with that.

So what we've been doing is using social media in a couple of ways. So, one, we've been doing it to kind of just keep information going to our networks of what we're doing. We do a lot of work on Twitter and Facebook-- people just following us. And creating content-- we've been creating like little vignettes of videos that people can go to Facebook or our Twitter page and really be able to see some of the work that we've done.

We've also been doing, like I said, there's a virtual bus tour where we've been doing town halls. We've had registrations from 300 all the way up to 1,000 people. You know, in some ways it's been-- it's actually expanded because we-- our town halls are usually around maybe 100 or so people, right. But now you've got people who can come from all over the state to participate and hear some information. And it continues to live. So even after the town halls are over, we're still being able to send that information.

And we've also been able to engage new voters in the process. We've been doing some IG Lives. One of our exciting pieces is that Justin Bieber allowed us to do an IG takeover. We were able to take over Justin Bieber's Instagram. And, you know, it was really interesting. After we got over "where's Justin? Where's Justin?" piece, it was-- it was really wonderful, like, to really be able to use kind of those platforms. We've been able to connect with people like Arianna Grande, who we've been working really closely with, who actually has been leveraging her base, leveraging her followers to really be able to lift up our work.

And so part of it, I think, is using social media as a connectivity to really be a connectivity to folks, use as a platform to kind of lift up some of our work that we're doing. And we always want to direct people back to organizations and real work, because something that Kyle said earlier, it is also-- while it is a huge positive space, it is also a place where there's a lot of misinformation. And so what we want to do is be responsible in terms of how we balance or use it in a way that we're connecting and lifting people, but we always want to drive people back to real organizations on the ground with real people who have real relationships and are rooted.

DIANA ALVEAR: LaTosha, that's the perfect segue. We're talking about social media and getting those younger celebrities involved. Well, I want to turn to the younger people who are actually activists right now and trying to change the world, even if they themselves can't vote just yet. So I want to turn our conversation over to Chloe in Dylan. And Chloe Mason is a rising high school senior. And Dylan Wilkes is a rising high school junior.

Ladies, thank you so much for being with us. And I just want to take a moment right now and ask you, how are you doing? There's so much turmoil going on in this world. And there's so much for you to digest. And quite frankly, there's been so much tragedy going on in the world, that I just want to take a moment and check in with you. And I'm going to start with Chloe. So, Chloe, how are you?

CHLOE MASON: Hi. First, I want to say thank you for having me. With everything going on in the world right now, I definitely had to learn how to step back and process how I was dealing with things. I think oftentimes when trauma occurs, it's broadcasted on the news and social media, and people start to gain momentum and feel like they need to be as active as they can be, which is great.

But with the death of George Floyd, especially, I felt like I was on the forefront of raising diversity concerns within my community. And I thought if I stepped back, it would be detrimental to the movement. What I didn't realize was the importance of giving myself time to process and take care of myself, because there's so much emotion attached to police brutality. And I'm still dealing with the fact that it's been over five months and we're still in quarantine due to a pandemic with no end in sight.

DIANA ALVEAR: I know. I want to apologize for that. I mean, I had nothing to do with it. But, you know, this is your senior year coming up. And it isn't what we would hope for. But at least you're safe and you are taking this time to make changes in your world. So thank you. And I'm glad to hear that you're able to be active through this trauma.

And, Dylan, how are you doing? Because, again, you know, I just worry about this generation with so much trauma in your face on every channel, everywhere you turn on social media. So, Dylan, how are you doing?

DYLAN WILKES: Thank you for having me. I've been good. So with, like, COVID going on, it's been-- I've been cooped up at home. So I mean, I've been, like, productive. So that's good. But with, like, the recent murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Brianna Taylor, it's angered me and, I bet, many other people, so just seeing that.

But if there is anything good that has, like, come out of these tragedies is that now that the world is, like, finally paying attention and seeing that this isn't-- like, this is terrible, we can make a change. And we can, like, fix it. So that's been on my mind lately. But I've been good.

DIANA ALVEAR: I'm glad to hear it. You both make me so proud. And there's so much to be proud of, because we do want to let everybody know-- Chloe, congratulations on being elected to team president of your local Jack and Jill chapter. And, Dylan, you are the legislative chair in that same Jack and Jill chapter. This is in Greater Essex County in New Jersey.

So first of all, I want to ask you both, you're both so young. And, Dylan, I don't believe you can vote. Chloe, I'm not sure if you can vote yet or not. [LAUGHS] But I want to ask you, why voting? Why are you so concerned about this issue right now?

CHLOE MASON: I'm actually really passionate about voting because I think it's such a privilege and a tool that can drive a lot of change. And I think when you voice your concerns and you refuse to be a bystander, then you actually spark change. And that's one of the best things you can do in this world. So I think motivating everybody to get out and use their voice and their platform in whatever way that is, I think that's important.

DIANA ALVEAR: Dylan, why is voting so important to you?

DYLAN WILKES: Voting is super important because you're having a person that is going to represent you in the-- like, in the-- like, in your community or it's just in the world-- like, in the country in general. And just that you're-- for the next four years, that person is going to be representing you. And it's super important that you're being represented fairly. So even though I can't vote, it's just-- I need-- I think that everybody should vote because your-- because, yeah, your voice matters.

DIANA ALVEAR: Tell me a little bit about Jack and Jill. What exactly is Jack and Jill of America?

CHLOE MASON: Jack and Jill is an organization that was founded in 1938 for African-American families to give Black children from the age of 2 to 19 the tools they need to thrive in the world through all kinds of educational, legislative, civic, and philanthropic activities. It offers amazing opportunities for kids to hear from a wide range of speakers that teach us about our proud heritage and provide us with all of the tools we need to truly become phenomenal leaders.

DIANA ALVEAR: I love hearing that, because Black women and Black girls are so crucial to voting. You always hear about, they show up. They show up. And they vote. So this is really exciting to have you both here.

I want to take a moment and talk to you a little bit about the issues that are most important to you when it comes to voting. So, Chloe, I'll stay with you. And tell me which issues mean most to you right now.

CHLOE MASON: My biggest motivator is the need for equitable resources for underrepresented communities. Access to free health care and police brutality are always on the forefront of my mind. The COVID-19 crisis definitely highlighted more of the racial, economic, and health disparities faced by Black and brown communities. And the recent deaths at the hand of police definitely impacted me. So that's always on the forefront of my mind.

DYLAN WILKES: It made me very emotional, because it's like, we're not being-- we're being treated unfairly. We're being killed. And so, yeah, I just think that that just needs to change. So that's just always on my mind.

DIANA ALVEAR: All right. I'm kind of going to be devil's advocate. Whenever we start time that voting and they're talking about, oh, the young voters, the young voters, and then a lot of people say, well they don't show up. Typically, there tends to be a low voter turnout when it comes to young people. So you are young people. And you-- and you know your friends and other young people in your life. So, Dylan, I'll stay with you. Tell me what you think is going to happen to voter turnout this year when it comes to young people?

DYLAN WILKES: For young people, I think that, like when we were talking about before, I feel like using your social media platforms to continue like encouraging voter turnout. Because, like you've been saying, voting-- your vote matters. And that will-- your vote will make a change. So when you encourage it and tell your friends, your family, and everybody to vote, then that's just-- that'll just help encourage it.

DIANA ALVEAR: And, Chloe, are you seeing signs that we're going to have a larger voter turnout among young people than previous years?

CHLOE MASON: In general, I think my generation has a heightened awareness about the importance of voting. But I think in order for our generation to come out in larger numbers, we have to be willing to meet the generation where they are. And by that, I mean you have to inspire us and be willing to educate us and learn from us about how the decisions politicians make could impact our lives. So using social media and different platforms to raise these concerns is especially important to motivate this generation.

DIANA ALVEAR: Looking ahead for each of you, what do you hope to be doing? Like, what kind of future do you hope to create?

DYLAN WILKES: I hope to create a world where we understand that, like, everyone-- like, I keep saying this-- but like, everybody matters. And that's super important to me, because everybody needs to be represented fairly, as I keep talking about.

So hopefully in the next 20 years, as we, like-- like, I think that means, like, starting now, by making that change, by everybody-- especially like Generation Z, we are using our voices. And we're understanding that everybody needs to be represented. So when that starts now, like, the next generations and the next few years, people will start to, like, see how important it is to vote, be represented, and just all those things. So, yeah.

CHLOE MASON: I would love to dismantle the racism embedded in this nation. But I would definitely love to grant children an equitable and anti-racist education. Because without the accurate representation of history and the lack of representation in the classrooms, there is no way to move forward and create change. So that's definitely something I hope to help change and hope to impact in my future.

DIANA ALVEAR: Oh, I know you will. I can already tell from our conversation. Chloe and Dylan, you both are incredible leaders. And you're going to make huge change for this world to come.

Now I want to head back to Kyle and LaTosha for a moment. You know, you've heard these inspiring young people talking about what they're doing right now. And I want to ask you, this is such a-- such a huge time for us right now. So many things are happening so quickly. I mean, we're seeing Confederate statues come down that-- I never expected them to come down. So LaTosha, I'm going to start with you. How do we ensure that this particular moment is not just a moment? That it becomes a movement that actually creates long-lasting change, LaTosha?

LATOSHA BROWN: You mention what happened in Kentucky a few weeks ago around the elections that were happening in Kentucky. I was in Louisville. Some of the footage that's actually going around around the people, that was actually footage that we had taken-- some of it-- a lot of it.

And I was, in all of my years of doing elections-- I've worked in, in some kind of campaign form or fashion, in over 50 elections-- I mean, 50 different campaigns-- and I have never seen people bang at a door to vote. Never in my life have I seen that.

And I'm raising that because I think that that's indicative to something. I think that you have to know when there is-- and when our-- that when you're in a particular moment, when we're in a transformative moment-- you know, I think that when you think about, 100 years from now, I'm not so sure people are going to be talking about 2019. I'm not so I'm sure they're going to be talking about 2000-and-whatever.

What I know for sure is that people will be talking about 2020 [CHUCKLES] for years to come. It has all of the elements there. As a student of history-- as a student of history and the political work that I know, I know the characteristics of a moment that is a defining moment. And this is a political defining moment.

I think that the question is-- which I think is a really valid question which you're raising-- is, how do we not just let this be-- let the energy just be, in terms of the movement-- in the moment, right-- and miss the opportunity of the movement? You know, the beautiful thing about being a student of movement history is what I know is that there's ebbs and flows. But there's always a current.

It's kind of like the-- when I think about the ocean. You know, sometimes the ocean is calm. Sometimes it's rough. But what you can be guaranteed of, is there's always the current.

And so there's always a current of movement, even in this country. And I think the goal is, how do people tap into that current? Is the current closer to the surface? Or is it deeper below?

And I think right now, what we're seeing and what we're witnessing-- even with the two young women that you just had-- I was sitting here, my heart was smiling, right. Because I'm listening to their analysis. At their age, I don't think I had that analysis. Right. Matter of fact, I know I didn't have that analysis, right. At their age, I didn't have the opportunities to do some of the things that they're doing, where their political ideology is actually being shaped in the moment. These young women are actually fighting for democracy as we speak.

And so-- and so something about that in itself tells me that this isn't just a moment, that this is a movement. Does that mean that the intensity will continue at the level that it will? No. You know, but I do think that what our responsibility-- particularly generations and corporations and organizations that really, really care about how we show up is, how do we show up in this moment to support them? Right. Are we giving kind of the investment and the support that we're making sure that this generation, who is in the front lines, that they have what they need to take it-- to take the-- take the relay to the next level? Right.

I think it's really important for us to-- another thing is for us to examine these systems right now, since there is this conversation. Instead of shying away from it, we need to lean into this real difficult conversation that we've refused to have a 400 years in America around anti-Blackness, around racism in this country, right. This is the moment for that.

You know, I love to say that, you know, what a diamond is, is a diamond is a piece of coal under extreme pressure. If anybody knows what glass is, all glass is the sand-- sand under extreme pressure becomes glass. And what's-- the both of them-- it creates-- it's the pressure that forces people to get clarity.

And so I think in this moment, what we're looking for is we're looking for clarity of what it really means to be a democracy, clarity of what it really means to be a country that literally values humanity and human life. And so for me, the moment or the movement piece is really going to be determined by our collective response.

DIANA ALVEAR: Absolutely. And, Kyle, I mean, I feel like this organization that you have, is-- it was built for this moment. So how do you turn this moment into a movement?

LATOSHA BROWN: Yeah!

KYLE LIERMAN: Well, first off, I'm looking forward to voting for Chloe and Dylan at some point soon. And just want to thank them for their incredible activism. This country normally makes big changes when young people step up and speak out and organize. And you guys are doing that in an incredible way. So, thank you.

This moment and all the incredible progress you've seen just in the last six weeks here is built on decades of organizing and struggle-- frankly, centuries of struggle and organizing. And the change comes fast when it happens. But it's always built on years and years of work before it. And that's true for this current movement. That's true for the LGBTQ movement. These big moments happen after tons of work has been done.

And, you know, in terms of creating real and sustainable change, that's one of the things I talked about earlier. You have to vote in order to make sure you're putting leaders in office who share your values and who can embody the issues that you're protesting for and fighting for and speaking out for. But then you can't stop your engagement after the election. And you have to vote in every election, not just in presidential elections.

So I think sustained change will come when activism continues in between elections in a really robust way, and when folks vote at higher rates than ever before.

DIANA ALVEAR: Absolutely. And I feel like there's this collective feeling of, we have to vote like our life depends on it this year.

KYLE LIERMAN: Yes.

DIANA ALVEAR: So many different reasons and so many different motivations behind that. And I just want to say, you know, to your point, Kyle, when you said that-- that thing about the research that shows, it's really about the person you know, that you trust and you respect, saying, hey, you should vote. Let me tell you about, you know, what's going on. Let me take you to the polls. That sort of thing. So hopefully, anybody listening to this conversation right now is inspired and motivated to take action and to bring people to the polls and to make sure that they're registered to vote, first of all.

But I want to thank all of you-- Kyle, LaTosha, Chloe, and Dylan-- for being so frank and so passionate about this topic. Clearly, you're going to be making so much change in the world right now and in the next 20 years. And I want to thank everybody who's been listening and watching this conversation. Our goal with these #Next20 conversations are to turn the conversation into action. We want you to go out there now that you're inspired and make sure that you are creating a better world.

I mean, all you have to do is look at the news right now and see that, you know, a few teenagers have started protest movements around the world. You know, it doesn't take much. It just takes conviction, and it takes commitment. And together, we can all make this happen.

So, again, Kyle, LaTosha, Chloe, and Dylan, thank you so much. I feel so honored and privileged that I was able to spend this time with you and talk about voting. I mean, that is the key to our democracy.

And this is not the end, by the way. We have so many more #Next20 conversations coming up. And I hope you will join us. Because these are the issues that are going to be defining the next 20. So on that note, I'm Diana Alvear. Thank you so much for joining us today.

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