Oct. 26, 2020: From Protests to Political Power: Technology, Racial Justice & the Youth Vote

The 2020 Presidential election arrives at one of the most contentious racial moments in the last half century. A 2019 Public Religion Research Institute /Atlantic magazine poll found that a majority of Americans (83 percent) believe the country is divided by race. An earlier survey by PRRI in 2018 found that two-thirds of adults who approve of President Trump's performance said that discrimination against whites has become a big problem. Ours is a time in which our national discourse increasingly echoes racially polarized Beltway political debates--from birthright citizenship and gerrymandering to DACA and voting rights and more. For young and old, the very ideals long synonymous with U.S. democracy are in flux. Likewise, notions such as voting rights and immigration, once seen bedrocks of American national identity, are threatened by outsized presidential power and the limitations of our system of checks and balances--both highlighted by the recent impeachment inquiry.\r\n\r\nAgainst this backdrop, Election 2020 is a historic election in which women voters, Black women in particular, alongside young voters 18-29 who will comprise the largest share of the electorate for the first time in U.S. history, are both expected to play a defining role.\r\n\r\nAdd to that the role technology will play in mediating Black access to the key instruments that govern our democratic process--from redistricting and the census count to online voter suppression and the expectation of even more foreign election interference in 2020 than ever--and our ability to think strategically and clearly about the intersection of racial justice, technology, and democracy will not only impact the election but will be defined by it.\r\n\r\nThis forum is concerned with the role popular culture and young voters can play in bridging these divides. Given the intersection of popular culture, celebrity, social media, and new technologies, it is past time that young voters bring these tools to bear as we re-imagine the future of our democracy.