/Mike Espy, down in Senate polls, turns to young Black leaders for advice

Mike Espy, down in Senate polls, turns to young Black leaders for advice

He was a symbol of the youthful political energy that led to Mississippi activists like Ida B. He was immediately regarded as one of Washington’s most promising political young-and-comings by Fannie Lou Hamer, Medgar Evers and Wells. The 66-year old Democrat, now 34 years old, is trying to harness that energy again to be the state’s first Black U.S. senator. He will need to create a political storm that swings many moderate white voters his direction and inspires historic Black voter turnout in order to win November. Espy is aware that young Black voters are crucial to his electoral success. Espy hosted a virtual event Monday night featuring four young Black leaders in the state and asked them: “What can my campaign accomplish to get young people engaged and involved?” Espy replied Monday night that he was the “old guy with gray hair”. “I am very conscious that we often speak too much. “I’m here today because I want to listen.” Jarrius Adams (23), an activist for Stacey Abrams’ Fair Fight; Maisie brown (18), a leading organizer of Jackson’s historic Black Lives Matter demonstration; Arielle Hudson (22) a University of Mississippi graduate and Rhodes scholar; and Jordan Jefferson (22) a Harvard Law student and recent graduate of Jackson State University. They suggested Espy be focused on student loan debt, improving public schools and creating jobs that attract and retain young people. Adams stated, “We see the struggles of our parents growing up.” “Some of us see a connection between that and them being here in Mississippi. We want better for our families. Many young people don’t understand that politics and policy can make all the difference. In a November rematch of the 2018 U.S. Senate special elections, Espy will face incumbent Republican Senator Cindy Hyde Smith. Espy lost eight points to Hyde Smith two years ago. Espy has placed race at the heart of his campaign this year in an effort to improve his political strategy. This will make it difficult for Hyde Smith, whose record on race has been questioned on a national level. Espy admitted that his 2018 campaign could be criticised. But, he also highlighted that many of the approximately 100,000 Democratic voters who voted in favor of former President Barack Obama but did not vote for him in 2018, were young Democratic voters. Adams stated, “The question always comes back to me: Why won’t you vote?” “I always tell them to wait a moment, these young people who don’t vote are your children and grandchildren. Let me ask you the same question Monday: “Why don’t these young people vote?” The leaders explained that the reason they don’t vote is because they are often not the focal point of candidates’ resources and therefore don’t understand what they want. Brown stated, “You just need to make it matter.” “Not too long ago I didn’t know what a congressman does. Why are you important ?… Let people know what your role is, and how they can vote for you.” Hudson also shared the same criticism of politicians today. Hudson stated that “I don’t believe we’ve done a very great job of targeting young people specifically.” “Young people don’t see candidates or agendas representing them… Young people don’t feel that they have a role in the political process right now. They don’t understand why they should vote for someone when none the issues being discussed directly affect them at the moment. Another topic of conversation was the national Black Lives Matter Movement that has already had an impact on historic changes in Mississippi. Brown, along with other young activists, planned the largest civil rights protest in Mississippi since 1960s. The state flag, featuring the Confederate battle emblem, was the focal point of the protest. It flew for 126 consecutive years. Mississippi legislators, who had been reluctant for decades to publicly acknowledge the banner’s existence, voted to take down the flag less than a month later. On Monday night’s call, the young leaders said Espy should take advantage of this type of energy. Jefferson stated, “We are very influenced by social media.” “Instagram is all about showing off, about looking cool. Black Lives Matter looks cool, so people get involved. It’s not enough to make Mississippi popular, it’s time to make voting more cool. Take a look at the Black Lives Matter movement and the most popular stuff on Twitter. Many people don’t know what they’re talking about but it’s fun to talk about it.” Another focus of the call for young activists was the state’s political and social climate. Mississippi has one of the highest levels of outmigration in America. This is why Mississippi is plagued with young college-educated people who are leaving for better jobs and better social environments. The activists claimed that politics is responsible for this trend during the call. Adams stated that some of our leaders or people we’re supposed call leaders like Senator Hyde-Smith, have a picture of her wearing a Confederate uniform. People still talk about her being in the front row for a public hanging.” That image is still being circulated on the internet. I can see that young people are saying this is why they’re leaving the country. They’re leaving before we can have a conversation about student loans and tax breaks.” Espy concluded the call by saying that he had “learned so many things.” “If I have 99 days to run for the Senate, you will be there. I will listen and be available. “I’m going to reply to you guys.” He added, “None of these matters if we don’t vote in November.”