Civil Rights Movement Freedom Riders urge younger activists to get out the vote

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.

- Charlotte Kramon

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 campaign withdrawal gave many Democrats hope for victory in November. More than 15,500 volunteers have signed onto ground efforts in Georgia in the week since Vice President Kamala Harris announced her run, her campaign said.

But 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."

Person said he gets it — watching the news can frustrate anyone — but said voters must look beyond any one issue to the greater good. He urged King and her peers to educate others about how the government works, to understand their struggles, to share ideas, but most of all, to use the resources they have to act, now.