Student activist spotlight: Terah Gruber

Student activist spotlight

Registering voters with Terah Gruber

by Gabrielle Krieger

Terah Gruber is a senior at Annie Wright who volunteers with Students Demand Action where she participated in phone banking to help register voters. Terah Gruber (USG '21), has been volunteering to help register voters through Students Demand Action (SDA) since the summer of 2020. SDA is a youth organization fighting gun violence in the US, which is a part of the larger organization Everytown for Gun Safety, a national nonprofit advocating for gun control.

Gruber originally planned on only participating in the youth organization’s local rallies this summer. However, because of COVID-19, they were cancelled. Following this cancellation, she received a cold call from a local member of SDA who shared information with her on how to get involved with the organization, after making sure she was pre-registered to vote.

Since signing up, Gruber has volunteered virtually through phone banking with her fellow group members, engaging people in conversations similar to the one that got her involved. She typically discusses registration and “where you can find your candidates’ information on where they stand on gun control.” In addition, she has attended regular zoom conferences with other members where they learn more about voting and “the importance of voting with gun violence in mind.”

Gruber cites her Global Politics Class as one of the reasons she wanted to get involved. “Taking that class was very eye opening. Before, I was just not very interested in politics only because I didn’t like watching the news,” she stated. It helped her realize “the last election and this election... are very important, and I think this one is more important than ever, and so I wanted to do my part, even though I can’t vote yet.”

She was also drawn to the organization by its “hands on” nature, and because “it’s not just adults, everything is run by INKWELL | NOVEMBER 2020

kids.” Instead of watching the news, “I learn by going to these zoom conferences and talking to other kids about issues that I’m passionate about and want to learn more about,” Gruber noted.

A large obstacle as a phone bank volunteer Gruber has faced is her age. “I think when people answer and they hear a kid on the phone… it’s harder for them to take us seriously,” she said. Yet to Gruber, it has been worth it because by educating other potential voters, “it’ll make a little domino effect, and now there’s more people who can get other people to register,” she stated.

"When you vote, it's not just clicking a box... you're also educating yourself."

Gruber encouraged people to vote not only because of the change it can create in the world, but because “when you vote, it’s not just clicking a box...you’re also educating yourself.” “When you take the time to vote, and... you have to read that packet and go through all the information for it, you know, you’re learning more about it [politics] and you’re getting involved,” she noted.

For students who are too young to vote or even preregister, Gruber urged: “just do some research and find some organization, you know, for a matter that you care about, there’s going to be a youth organization that is taking volunteers.” 1 11