TJTODAY vol 6 issue 2 nov. 2020
thomas jefferson high school for science and technology 6560 braddock rd. alexandria, va 22312
OCESS IS R P L A IC IT L PO FIRMS THAT NTS IN THE F E A D N U T IO S IT F D O E T H E P OW E R HIS SPECIAL T T U B , D E T A UNDERESTIM
ABSTRACT Governor Ralph Northam speaks to guests at the Blue Gala in Richmond, Va on Feb. 15, 2020. The event was sponsored by the Virginia Democrats. “I’m a very passionate Democrat and feel very strongly about this election,” sophomore Becca Jeffries said. “I have a Fellowship with Virginia Democrats to recruit people to the campaign, and have also spent many hours calling voters and telling them to vote.” Photo by Kaylaå White, Royals Media.
STAFF EDITORIAL BOARD
Print & Online Editors-in-Chief Broadcast Executive Producer Team Leaders Vikram Achuthan Annika Dunneja Stuti Gupta Sonia Kanchan Anuj Khemka Pratika Katiyar
Sean Nguyen
In-Depth Editor Minjoo Song
Social Media Manager Zia Sun
Aafreen Ali Rachel Lewis Christina Lu Nathan Mo Connie Ryu
TJ Podcast Network Editor-in-Chief Whitman Ochai
Advisor: Erinn Harris tjTODAY is the official newsmagazine of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. The staff is deeply committed
to a code of journalistic ethics that demands the exercise of accuracy, good judgment, and impartiality. The content of tjTODAY is determined by the editorial board. Unsigned editorials reflect the majority opinion of the staff of tjTODAY, but not necessarily the opinions of individual editors.
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tjTODAY
CONTENTS tjTODAY vol. 6 issue 2
nov. 2020
11 13
10
8
14
6 cover story 06
BETTERING THE BALLOT Due to low voter turnout, two Jefferson students developed a software that makes it easy to request absentee ballots
features 08
PARTAKING IN POLITICS Jefferson community members get involved with the political process
FRESH START FOR THE DEMS Young Democrats Club makes a re-entry
09
STAYING TRUE TO THE VIEW Political conservatives share their views and experiences
10
ASKING ALUMNI tjTODAY sat down with Noah Bardash, Chief of Staff to VA Delegate Dan Helmer, to learn about his rise into politics and his message to young people
11
YOUNG VOTER-PATHY Youth civic engagement at Jefferson regardeless of age and eligibility
opinion 12 OLD ENOUGH TO ADVOCATE Instagram infographics may be more harmful than helpful without fact checks or calls to action
13 TWO WORDS BETTER TAKEN OUT “Under God” should be taken out of the Pledge of Allegiance
DRAWING FAIR LINES Amendment 1 is not the right solution to gerrymandering
entertainment 14 CELEBRITIES FOR SUFFRAGE Through new shows and performances, the stars of Hollywood encourage eligible voters to hit the polls
WE STILL STILLCOU COUNTW W WESTILLC STILL COU STILLCOU With the upcoming election, students and staff stay politically active, whether they’re voting or not
ILLUSTRATION // Pratika Katiyar
LCOUNTW UNTWES WE WESTILLC COUNTW UNT UNTWES 5
P
honebanking. Canvassing. Using STEM skills to contribute to the political system. The Jefferson community has found ways to make their voices heard in a myriad of ways. Though we often look at the presidential election at the top of the ticket, it is important for young voters to stay engaged with local and state politics. Jefferson principal Dr. Ann Bonitatibus shares that sentiment. “The government, our leaders, and our elected
officials are responsive to us and our needs, and so they are supposed to serve our interests. While the federal lands-cape is extremely important, sometimes younger voters can overlook the local election,” Bonitatibus said. “Look at the local things that are going on: school boards, commissioners, mayors, senators, delegates, those are the people who are closest to you at home.” In the end, no matter the election or issue, our voices matter. We still count.
T
wo students. 50 campaigns. 9000 voters. And one crucial election that had senior Raunak Daga and junior Sumanth Ratna developing a handy so ftware. In 2018, incumbent Republican David E. Yancey’s name was pulled out of a bowl after a race in Virginia’s 94th District ended in a tie. This simple draw from a bowl resulted in a 51/49 Republican majority in the House of Delegates. Though Democrat Shelly Simonds initially disputed the tie due to an unclear ballot, Daga and Ratna found a more worrisome issue at play. “The turnout for that election was extremely low, about 30%,” Daga said. “That was our inspiration.” After connecting with Virginia Senator Scott Surovell, Daga and Ratna were asked to pick up an existing project from 2015— to create a third party portal, eAbsentee, for requesting absentee ballots in Virginia. “Virginia is kind of unique in that it’s one of the few states in the country that allows for online requests of absentee ballots, because they permit e-signatures. On top of that, it’s one of the few states that you can set up third party portals,” Daga said. With the current existence of other third party portals, Daga and Ratna had to ask themselves: ‘What can be done better?’ Their first answer was ‘applicability.’ “Our website has a dashboard on an admin panel that campaigns and [political] groups can use to study the demographics,” Ratna said. “That way they can target their efforts toward specific groups, more effectively.” Their second answer was ‘privacy.’ “Official PDF forms ask for the entire social security number of voters and that’s not legally required. So, we only ask for the minimum amount of information required,” Ratna said. “It increases the amount of people who use our application.” However, the PDF forms that eAbsentee now uses to record voter information, had the potential to stop their journey in its tracks. “The big difficulty was really just getting the data onto the PDF. It’s written in Flask and it’s a Python back end,” Daga said. “There’s a lot of solutions out there to get things onto a PDF, it’s just that a lot of them are outdated, no longer documented, or don’t work.” Ultimately, they did find a solution.
5
STEPS OF CODE
1
form AUTOCOMPLETE
While the user types their information in the corresponding fields on the form, an asynchronous AJAX GET request is used to gather data from the “SmartyStreets” API to autocomplete the address field.
Due to low voter turnout, two Jefferson students developed a software that makes it easy to request absentee ballots
bettering
the
BALLOT by Stuti Gupta, Sonia Kanchan & Pratika Katiyar
“I was a little bit nervous that that would be the stopping point of the entire project and because we couldn’t figure out how to get stuff onto a PDF, we would just be stumped,” Daga said. “It took a while, but we figured it out eventually.” With over 50 campaigns and political groups promoting eAbsentee and taking advantage of its unique dashboard, as well as more than 9000 individuals using the software to request a ballot, not only are Daga and Ratna more than satisfied, they’re look-
2
3
data COLLECTION
Once the user clicks submit, the data is sent to their server via a POST request. The data is sent as form-data, which makes for an easier conversion to key-value pairs using the form field and value.
4
COVER STORY 7
ballot request
GENERATION
The python PDF library “PyPDF2” is then used to write the data into the state-sanctioned absentee ballot request form.
ballot request SUBMISSION
Using the “Yagmail” python library and the “Gmail” API, the PDF is sent to the voter’s local registrar.
ing at ways to improve their project. “In the long run, we want to focus on improving our data analysis in the admin dashboards. I think we could focus a little more on the numbers to help the ‘get out the vote,’ groups more,” Ratna said. Virginia was one of few states which had already passed no-excuse absentee voting laws before the pandemic. For Daga and Ratna, it’s these laws that will change election turnouts like the 94th District’s around.
5
dashboard UPDATE Finally, the non-private user information is stored in a database enabling campaigns and groups to use the dashboard to understand where and how they can improve their “get-outthe-vote” efforts.
“It’s more than just getting more people to do is vote- it’s enacting laws that make it so absentee voting is accepted and easy to do like it was done in Virginia,” Daga said. PHOTO // Kusum Daga
by Elizabeth Li & Meghan Zhang
FRESH START for the
Young Democrats Club makes a re-entry
A
fter a one year hiatus, Jefferson’s Young Democrats club has kicked back into action for this crucial year in politics. The club is a chapter under the teen caucus of the Virginia Young Democrats (VAYD) organization, “the official youth auxiliary of the Democratic Party of Virginia.” As a result, they attend
DEMS events, recruit guest speakers, and are represented at VAYD’s annual meeting. “One big thing we have planned is to host sessions with renowned Democrats,” senior and general officer Joshua Huang said. “We’ve been trying to build a consistent attendance through captivating discussions each week.”
Huang emphasized that active participation and engagement are focal points for the club, but recognizes that some members come to listen and learn about specific events. “Since politics is so fast paced, we try and keep as up to date as possible by discussing current events like the presidential and vice presidential debates at our weekly meetings,” Huang said. Unfortunately, misconceptions about political party platforms are prominent, especially with the current polarization in our country. Senior and president Rishi Lahoti believes that regardless of political leaning, student engagement in politics is important especially with the election right around the corner.
partaking in
“This election is going to affect people our age. We need to have a stake in it, and the sooner younger people realize that, the better,” Lahoti said. “Politics truly is a fun field to explore. You’ll meet some of the most selfless and dedicated people through it, and that alone makes it worth it.”
by Nathan Mo
POLITICS
Volunteering and being aware of current events is key to staying active in the politcal procses
Campaigning with Dalia Palchik, junior Michelle Du (third from left) poses with her campaigning team. “My experience working with Dalia a few years back really inspired me to continue engaging with politics and working for candidates whose views and values I believed in,” Du said.
PHOTO COURTESY // Michelle Du
FEATURE 9
J
uniors Riya Dev and Alyssa Gorbaneva are co-presidents of Jefferson’s Teenage Republicans, a club dedicated to political discussions and guest speakers such as GOP leaders. “We have political discussions and discourse on recent events in the political sphere. Since people of all political views come in, [our club] is a
great place for conversation,” Dev said. In a school where most students lean toward the left side of the political spectrum, Dev and Gorbaneva share their experiences as Republicans. “[Being a Republican at TJ] isn’t difficult. It just means that there’s usually more people who are going to argue with you, and you have to be ready for that. You have to be able to back [conservative stances] up,” Gorbaneva said. As a result, Gorbaneva has learned to challenge her own opinions and strengthen her arguments. On the other hand, Dev explained that disagreeing with someone who is not Republican is not significantly
staying
TRUE by Elizabeth Li & Meghan Zhang
to the
Political conservatives share their views and experiences
VIEW
different from disagreeing with someone who is. “It’s a civil discussion, and we learn more about [and understand] the other side, so when I do talk to people with different political stances, I usually feel included,” Dev said. In the future, Teenage Republicans is planning on continuing their political discussions, attending conventions, and regis-
tering officially under the national Teenage Republicans organization. “We’re looking to go to conferences,” Gorbaneva said. “There are a lot of conventions that are geared towards younger students we can go to, as well as influential speakers in politics we can watch.”
ILLUSTRATION // Diya Dinesh
T
he presidential election is one of the most pivotal points of every election year. But this year, the polls will be looking a bit different. Instead of being packed with prospective voters, many will instead choose to stay home, wary of the coronavirus pandemic. With these new conditions, it’s become clear that now, more than ever, poll workers and volunteers are essential to run things as smoothly as possible. Despite the new norms which the pandemic has brought about, members of the Jefferson community have found ways to participate in the political process.
OVERCOMING OBSTACLES
Although Junior Michelle Du has volunteered for political campaigns before, she says that campaigning over
a distance has been a new frontier. “I phone banked for the first time this summer. With phone banking, we [volunteers] get a bank of potential voters who’ve been filtered by certain demographics, like age or voting history. And the volunteers call as many people as they can, trying to get voters to align with their candidate.” Du said. Du believes that campaigning over a distance has brought new difficulties to her efforts to sway potential voters. “I prefer campaigning in person because you actually get to meet potential voters in person.” Du said. “People tend to be a lot more bold and rude [over the phone].” Humanities teacher and former poll worker Jenifer
Hitchcock encourages students to volunteer in order to increase overall turnout from the voter base. “If you cannot vote, ask your party of choice if you can assist in some way. People will need help getting folks who have difficulty with transportation. They might ask you to stand outside of the polling precincts and just hand out literature to voters who are coming into the building,” Hitchcock said. “Even if you aren’t able to vote, there are many ways you can make your mark in the bigger picture.”
USING YOUR VOICE
Hitchcock believes that the best way for students to get involved with the election is to have conversations about politics. “It can be as simple as
having conversations with your friends, but [ones] that are also substantive in nature. So if you’re having a conversation about something political, work towards understanding each other and hearing what you each have to say,” Hitchcock said. Du also recommends students keep up with current events so that they stay informed about issues affecting their community. “Even though many students aren’t yet of voting age, I think they should stay aware of what’s going on in the world, because eventually, they’re going to be of age, and they should know what they believe in, and vote accordingly,” Du said. “Even if we can’t vote, there’s a plethora of opportunities open to high schoolers like us.”
asking
ALUMNI N
tjTODAY sat down with Noah Bardash, Chief of Staff to Va. Delegate Dan Helmer, to learn about his rise into politics and his message to young people by Vikram Achuthan and Pratika Katiyar
oah Bardash graduated from Jefferson in 2013 and went on to major in both Systems Engineering and International Studies at Washington University in St. Louis. Though not always set on a career in politics, his experiences at Jefferson and beyond helped lead to his current role as Chief of Staff to Delegate Dan Helmer, who represents a portion of Prince William County and Fairfax County in the Va. House of Delegates.
student at TJ. I served as vice president of the Young Democrats club in my senior year. President Obama's reelection campaign also took place during my senior year, so that was actually the first campaign that I had been involved in. I learned the nuts and bolts of phone banking and canvassing and voter outreach and all that goes into working on a campaign and building a grassroots movement. It was a very powerful experience for me.
tjTODAY: Can you describe your current role as Chief of Staff for Delegate Dan Helmer?
tjTODAY: Did you always want to go into politics?
NB: There are a number of different
in politics but I have always had an interest in politics. I would say that until the 2016 election, I didn't think that I was going to be pursuing this as a career. But in the aftermath of that election four years ago, I thought about the values that are important to me and that was part of what led me to seek out this internship for Senator Claire McCaskill in 2017, then to take that into a career after graduating from university.
responsibilities that fall into several categories. The primary focus of a legislator is to serve the communities that legislator represents. Right now we're in the middle of a year which has been full of a lot of hardship for many people. There's been a lot of folks who have been reaching out to our office and this year is a particularly challenging time. On the legislative front, for the first time in decades both the House and the Senate were under democratic leadership, and the General Assembly took action that Virginians want on voting rights, climate action, gun safety measures, and women's rights.
tjTODAY: What types of activities
did you do at TJ that allowed you to discover your passion for politics? Any certain classes?
NB: A lot of my interest in activism and in politics did start when I was a
NB: I was never dead set on working
tjTODAY: Why is it important for young people to get involved in politics, and particularly, politics at the state and local level? NB: I think that young people's voices are an incredibly, incredibly important part of politics and unfortunately young people don't vote, at the rates that some older Americans do. As a result of that, you see issues that are important to young people don't always get the same
amount of urgency or airtime as others. When young people get involved and say “this is an issue I care about,� they can really make a difference and help determine elections. I would encourage the whole TJ student body to reach out to offices like ours to say, this is an issue that matters to me and I'm going to be watching how you vote on this issue. While the top of the ticket, the presidential race, gets the lion's share of the attention, these local and state races have a huge impact on our daily lives, on budgets, on criminal justice, and policing reform.
tjTODAY: Looking forward, what are your goals for your career in politics? NB: I'm definitely interested in climate change and voting rights, and I'm really proud of some of the work that the Virginia legislature has done on both of those issues. I'm looking forward to continuing that advocacy on those issues and whether that remains directly in electoral politics permanently, or elsewhere, is something I'm still looking at. But I know that I intend to remain active in community building and organizing, especially on those issues that are most important. This interview has been condensed and edited.
FEATURE 11 Sophomore Becca Jeffries (left) poses with her sister at a Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest in Chantilly, Va. in June. Despite being unable to vote, Jeffries participates in activism and campaigns. “I attended many BLM protests over the summer that were safe. Everyone was masked and staying apart, so protests are still possible,” Jeffries said. PHOTO COURTESY // Becca Jeffries
young
VOTER-PATHY S
tanding in line and checking off a ballot. Sharing a post on social media. Emailing a local representative. Voicing your opinion by protesting. With the approaching presidential election, political conversations are increasingly shared on- and off-line, and students are able to stay politically engaged in a number of ways. Despite being underage and unable to vote, sophomore Becca Jeffries passionately participates in politics by working for campaigns and organizations, speaking out in proposal presentations, and corresponding with local legislators. She’s found it to be beneficial in ways besides being able to raise awareness about political issues such as climate change. “It’s nice to know that you are really making an impact and changing the world for the better,” Jeffries said. Percent Voter Turnout By Age “It’s given me a lot of Group in Election Years confidence I lacked prior to these experiences, and taught me many valuable skills.” Senior Reevu Adakroy, who has recently turned eighteen and voted early, shares how simply being Source: U.S. Census Data politically informed keeps teenagers, including himself, engaged. “[I know] I'm really lucky to have the privileges I do and live the lifestyle I do,” Adakroy said. “If by paying attention or staying informed, I can take the time to make [society] better
by Annika Duneja and Connie Ryu
Civic engagement at Jefferson regardeless of age and eligibility
for others [as well], then why not?” However, according to the NPR, voter apathy is increasingly visible in recent elections,with four in ten eligible voters not voting in 2016. While these numbers reflect voters of age, Adakroy spoke about the significance of youth in adult voter apathy. “Everyone that's an adult was once a youth, so it's worth starting [civic engagement] early,” Adakroy said. “Once you're old enough to understand what's going on, it's worth taking the time to be informed and know what's going on - whatever age that is.” Jeffries argues that a possible reason for the rise of voter apathy may be due to selfishness, where voters fail to cast their ballot in political issues because they are not directly affected by them. “You can’t neglect the sufferings of millions of people because it doesn’t cause you suffering,” Jeffries said. “Not voting because you’re indifferent to something bad that’s happening can be as harmful as arguing for it.” Accordingly, Jeffries strongly encourages her fellow youth to fight for issues they may be passionate about, particularly because she’s found her personal experiences to be unexpectedly impactful in making real change. “I’ve found that people in power find youth activists really inspiring, and in many cases, tend to listen to us more than adults,” Jeffries said. “This gives us an important power, and we need to use it.”
LEAD ED 12
Old Enough to Advocate
The voting age should lower to 16 for local and state elections
V
oting is a privilege, not a right. Do 16 year-olds deserve the opportunity? While the 26th amendment approved lowering the voting age to 18 in response to the outcry “old enough to fight, old enough to vote,” today it is brought into question whether 16-year-olds should be allowed the same responsibility. Advocates of such argue that the increased spread of technology has led to a dissemination of information, giving students the opportunity to build their political viewpoints. Additionally, lowering the voting age would force political candidates to consider how their decisions affect the younger demographic. Vote16 USA is a national campaign that supports efforts to give 16- and 17-year-olds voting rights at the state and local level. Allowing 16-year-olds to vote at these levels could serve as a ‘testing ground’ to determine whether they are responsible enough to vote in the national election. Because it is easier to both make an impact and see the changes brought within the community, students may be more interested in future elections, and; therefore, take
ILLUSTRATION // Rachel Kwon
the time to educate themselves. To measure whether this local engagement makes for a more productive and inclusive democratic society, the results of such elections could be compared to the preferred choice of the younger demographic. In a 2019 poll conducted by The Hill, 84% of registered voters opposed allowing 16-year-olds to vote. Opponents often cite immaturity as a reason why the voting age should not be 16. According to social scientists Tak Wing Chan and Matthew Clayton, 16-year-olds would not be able to make reasonable
political decisions as “research in neuroscience suggests that the brain, specifically the prefrontal cortex, is still undergoing major reconstruction and development during the teenage years.” Another potential issue with 16- and 17-year-old voters is the massive spread of disinformation through social media and the lack of civic education. Nevertheless, a solution to this could be media literacy and civics classes weaved into the curriculum as early as eighth or ninth grade. From organizing Black Lives Matter rallies to phone banking for campaigns, students have found several ways to stay politically engaged. By already advocating for big issues, they have shown their ability to stay informed, and should therefore be allowed to vote in local and state elections as a trial deciding whether they can maturely vote in the national election.
OPINION 13
Drawing Fair Lines Amendment 1is an ineffective solution to gerrymandering by Christina Lu
G ILLUSTRATION // Faith Wu
Two Words Better Taken Out “Under God” should be taken out of the Pledge of Allegiance by Stuti Gupta
T
hirteen stripes, 50 stars, one nation–“under God”. The Pledge of Allegiance was officially accepted by the United States (U.S.) in 1942. In 1943, the Supreme Court stated that per the First Amendment, students cannot be forced to say the pledge. With virtual schooling, it is brought into question whether the pledge should continue to be recited online, or even at all when we return. While the original intent of the pledge was to commemorate America’s discovery, the meaning has shifted to instill a sense of patriotism and connection between immigrants and the U.S. Because of this and the introduction of patriotism instilled in students who may not have much exposure to more concrete patriotic acts, the pledge should be said daily; however, it should not be mandatory of staff or students. Moreover, choosing not to recite it should not be taken as an act of disrespect, especially because there are many other ways
of upholding patriotism. The pledge should continue to be recited during the e-school year because of the attempt towards in-person ‘normalcy’ it brings. In keeping with the connection that the pledge brings in uniting all backgrounds, the words “under God”, added by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, should be taken out. Eisenhower fell in support of adding the two words after attending one of Reverend George Docherty’s services, who thought acceptance of Christianity is vital to an ideal American life. In addition to ignoring the diversity of religious beliefs present in the U.S., the inclusion of such violates the separation of church and state. Though the Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the constitutionality of this phrase, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruled that the pledge is not discriminatory. While the nation stands as one, “under God” continuously stands as a divide between the people.
errymandering started in 1812 as the manipulation of electoral districts to gain a political advantage in the election, and it’s still practiced today, in 2020. Currently, partisan legislators in the General Assembly are in charge of drawing district maps. Whoever has the majority in the state government changes boundaries to secure more seats for their political party in legislative bodies such as the House of Representatives. The resulting districts often blatantly misrepresent the true views of the population. Some voters become political minorities in their districts despite being part of the state’s majority, and are discouraged by the knowledge that their voices don’t make a difference. Nonetheless, there’s hope - an amendment to change gerrymandering is on the ballot. Amendment 1 will give the job of drawing districts to a 16-member commission composed of both citizens and legislators. It’s already been passed in two consecutive legislative sessions, so the only step left is for Virginia’s citizens to vote on it in the General Election on Nov. 3. If passed, this commission will be deciding the maps in 2021. However, the selection process for commissioners raises concerns about how well Amendment 1 addresses the problem. The eight legislators on the commission will be chosen by party leaders, and the eight citizens will be handpicked by retired judges. If politicians impose their agendas on their selections - which they almost certainly will - this commission won’t actually be nonpartisan or independent. Despite the good intentions behind Amendment 1, it’s only reform in disguise, and the status quo will remain unchanged. Politicians will still be choosing their voters, and votes will still be weighted unevenly. A transparent, independent, and diverse citizen-led commission that doesn’t involve lawmakers is the only way to ensure fair representation of Virginia’s voters.
CELEBRITIES for SUFFRAGE by Aafreen Ali
Reprising his role as President Jed Bartlet on “The West Wing,” Martin Sheen joins the rest of the original cast of the show in the new “A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote.” PHOTO COURTESY // The Boston Globe
ENTERTAINMENT 15
H
ollywood stars want you to get out and vote. Some are sharing their voting stories and speaking out on social media, while others are letting their performances speak for them. The organization “When We All Vote” is responsible for a lot of these events, where many of the co-chairs are famous actors such as Tom Hanks, Selena Gomez, Shonda Rhimes, and Tracee Ellis Ross . Led by Former First Lady Michelle Obama, the “When We All Vote” movement collaborates with various local and national groups to promote voter registration and action. Cast members of the hit Broadway musical “Hamilton” teamed up with the “When We All Vote” movement to promote voter registration and voting at a virtual gathering on Sep. 22. As a musical about the civic foundation of our nation, the cast fittingly promoted the continuation of these civic responsibilities.
“
Through new shows and performances, the stars of Hollywood encourage eligible voters to hit the polls The event featured songs from the show with lyrics reworked to highlight the importance of voting. The first track, “Alexander Hamilton,” became “Ordinary Citizen,” shining a spotlight on the importance of not a Founding Father, but regular people like us in the upcoming election. Another popular song, “Guns and Ships”, now details the nitty gritty of the voting process this year, clarifying concerns on mail-in ballots and voter fraud filling the news recently. “Our work isn’t done, democracy is our business // can’t just sit at home and leave it to the special interests,” Deon’te Goodman, understudy to many of the key male roles in the Broadway production, sings in the video. This lyric, among others, aims to resonate with the increasingly diverse population of theater fans and encourage them to vote for causes that they believe in.
DEMOCRACY
Theater followers aren’t the only audience with new, promote-the-vote content Fans of the 2000s political drama “The West Wing” can now enjoy the original cast’s official reunion, “A West Wing To Benefit When We All Vote.” The special is a stage version of “Hartsfield’s Landing” episode, which features the White House staff dealing with the stresses of the New Hampshire primaries and tension with China and Taiwan. In place of commercials, the event contains interludes by other celebrities like Samuel L. Jackson and Elisabeth Moss encouraging viewers to vote. The only difference between the original show and special is change in age and the replacement of John Spencer by Sterling K. Brown. Nevertheless, the message remains constant: voting is immensely important. “Our nation is about the citizens who actually roll up their sleeves and get involved, and one of the ways [to do that] that was important on the show and important to us in real life is voting,” Dulé Hill, who played Charlie Young on the show, said. “I’m honored to be a part of this campaign to just inspire people to vote.”
B USINESS is our
- Hamilton Cast
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE
AMERICAN?
“
What does it mean to be an American? Richard Hofstadter, an American historian in the mid 20th century, said that Americans don’t have an ideology, we are an ideology. What are we, without our belief in the protection of the negative liberties of the Bill of Rights? What are we, without a commitment to majority rule and at the same time the preservation of minority rights? What are we, without a civic commitment to engage? We’re individuals, but our individualism isn’t an atomization. It is a collective unity that works loosely together under a shared framework. The frameworks are those institutions, whether it’s a physical institution like Congress, or it is a notional institution like civil discourse or the rule of law. These are what we stand for as Americans.
PHOTO by Monte Bourjaily REPORTING by Sean Nguyen
I want students to feel that their perspective matters because then they will be more inclined to express that view and we need them expressing it. You have a capacity to engage on an equal basis with a lot of adults in this community. If you’re not yet 18, remember that voting is only one of the arrows in the quiver or tools in the kit of political powers that you have. I want to help you realize the power you have, and to exercise that power.
WHAT I’VE LEARNED
“
Humanities Teacher
Monte Bourjaily
