"If you have ideas...if you have a voice, if you would like to have your voice heard, voting is a vehicle for that."
-Beau Wright, College Dreamer, New York
On Friday, November 4th, the "I Have A Dream" Foundation held our first "Dreamer Town Hall," a forum for Dreamers (students) to discuss current events and social issues that impact them and their communities.
In this first event, titled "Election Tectonics: Identity, Youth, and the Vote," a panel of Dreamers from New York and Newark, moderated by Alumni, tackled important issues like why exercising your right to vote is important. In the audience and streaming online, fellow Dreamers and Alumni had the opportunity to join the conversation by asking questions of their peers. In advance, Dreamers throughout the U.S. were prompted to ask a voter (a parent, mentor, or sibling), "Why is exercising your right to vote important"?
Watch the full video of Friday's Town Hall at the link below, and submit your own short video on why voting is important to you using the hashtag #dreamervote.
Why is exercising your right to vote important?
Let us know at #DreamerVote
Dreamer Jessica from "I Have A Dream" Foundation - Los Angeles asks Ms. Vich, "Why is exercising the right to vote important?" Ms. Vich says, "it's very important that every single person exercises their right to vote so that our country actually looks like what we, the people, want it to look like." Jessica says, "Great answer!"
Los Angeles Dreamer Aaron asked Mr. Chavers why voting is important to him. Mr. Chavers says, "it's important to exercise your political right and always speak up against things that you think are injustices in America. So that way, America can be a better place." ..."make sure that you make and impact and show what you believe should happen in the world."
Mr. Cohen tells Dreamer Shawn, "Everyone wants a chance to be free, to work hard and have a family, an education, and when you vote your are taking part in that process. You’re showing how you want that and how you want to be treated because that is the difference between a country where they don’t have freedom and they do."
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