ATLANTA — Charles Person, one of the Civil Rights Movement’s original Freedom Riders, echoed organizers across Georgia when he urged a group of Generation Z and millennial activists to encourage young people to vote.
Young leaders from across the country gathered in Atlanta at a conference organized by the New Leaders Council, a nonprofit that encourages civic engagement.
They landed in the swing state at a critical moment, just days after President Joe Biden’s July 21 campaign withdrawal gave many Democrats hope for victory in November. More than 15,500 volunteers signed on to ground efforts in Georgia since Vice President Kamala Harris announced her run, her campaign said.
Still, even among these young activists, there was a palpable feeling of uncertainty about this political moment.
After Person urged the group to organize turnout efforts, Bessie King, a 39-year-old Mexican-American community organizer in Boston, stood up and confessed that even she might not want to vote.
“What I’m facing is people’s disillusionment,” she told him. “Despite the change in candidates, I’m still not convinced they’re representing my values.”