leadership program. students talk about what matters most to them and what motivates teenagers to become politically engaged. this is about two hours. good evening, everyone. coordinator for the birmingham civil rights institute. on behalf of our president and ceo, our staff, and our board of directors, we would like to cordially welcome you all to our rightsation, our voting series. today, we will be discussing white youth votes -- why use votes matter. i can think of no other more important component of our .istory than that of voting from the beginning of the country, when voting was always a cornerstone discussion, where the slaves could vote, the women could vote, and with the signing of the voting rights act. voting is a pivotal part of this country's action and mobility. tonight, we will discuss a key component of that. that is youth involvement in voting. i'm sure you watch the news daily. the tragedy that we experienced yesterday and south carolina. our hearts and thoughts go out to the family and church, as well as the community in charleston, south carolina. it is a stark reminder of how important it is for us to participate in our government, and no better way we can participate in voting. tonight, we will turn to someone who is not only a member of our family here at the birmingham civil rights institute, but someone who is a friend of mine. ourbarry mcneilly will be moderator tonight. he is a graduate of miles college, but one of the things is sure he is more proud of being a graduate of the institution in which he is an at parker high school. it is this country's oldest and largest negro high school in the world. he serves as education assistant, as well as handling outreach programs, which i do now. he did not want me to read his though. bio is long he told me, you know me, so talk about me. way to- i guess the best describe him is as an excitable encyclopedia of history here in birmingham. he is also the program coordinator of our legacy use youth program. it is a program in which we train teenagers on how to represent our institute inside the doors, as well as outside the doors. without further do, i would like to turn over the program to barry mcneilly. [applause] barry: thank you, sam. i asked sam not to beat up my off of my bioread because you have a long bio when you are old. with that comment keep it brief. i want to dovetail off of something that sam said in terms of what took place last night in our nation, and with that in mind, i would like to ask us to have a moment of silence. barry: this evening, we are talking about voting rights. i thought we could take a step back, before we take a step ahead, and look at where we got today in this democracy. when we started this country, after the revolutionary war, privilege.a a strong part of the story that we tell of the history of the united states is the idea of the expansion of the vote. when we first began in this country, less than a quarter of the citizens could legally vote. there were barriers, berries and barriers in terms of with propertyated ownership. towe move forward, we tried get rid of some of these barriers and increase this idea of voting. you have to ask yourself, if we are democracy, why in the world is there a barrier to voting? you have to go back a little aristotle.to you have to go back to the romans and greeks. when we look at their understanding of government, aristotle taught us that there were three forms of government. government by one. government by a few. then, there was government by me . idearoblem is that the ey of me was frowned upon. when aristotle brings us to us, he brings the corrupt form and ure form. the form in. nature would be monarchy. one person. the corrupted form of the single government would be something that we still deal with today, tyrants, dictators. government of a few, under aristotle, you have the aristocracy. these are the people consider to be the best among us, the leading citizens. democracy the idea of , wasernment by many frowned upon. felt that the many would subjugate the few. let's be honest about it. it's all about power and position. manyew felt as if the would use their political power to take away the things that they had. voting thatriers to to allow native americans to vote freely in this country until 1924. you have barriers that don't allow women to vote until the passage of the 19th amendment. you have barriers that don't allow african-americans to vote. you have barriers that don't allow many people to vote because of this idea of power. but we talk about power, we think of frederick douglass who said, power concedes nothing absent of a struggle. it never has, and it never will. many struggles have brought us to where we are tonight. about theirtalk , and whereof voting we will take this in the future, we have four of tanning young people here -- outstanding young people here. sitting here, we have -- raise ball, ad -- jared rising senior at the university of alabama. he is majoring in public health. uab and involved at various organizations. he is member of the uab leadership and service council, and he serves as the celeb 30 -- of five gamuthair delta.- phi gamma in a also a mentor network. he is also a member of sigma national leadership and arts organization. the first time you voted was in 2012, a primary election. micah. jared, we have birggs is currently a senior at hoover high school in bloomington, alabama. song.s her favorite [laughter] micah is a senior at hoover high school, where she is a member of the finance academy, andy candidate fornd a an international diploma. micah has served her eyes glass has served her-- high school as an ambassador and a member of peace birmingham -- people engage in cultural exchange. she has also been selected by alabama public television, from a pool of applicants, d to serve as a student analyst on "lessons from the civil rights movement." as a journalist, micah has the interviewty to members of congress, among others. 2015 is winner of the celebration of community in the arts contest. she is a delegate for the 2015 social justice program and also served on the -- sitting next to micah is jordan. jordan croft is 23 years old, a civil rights enthusiast, and youthate of the legacy program. jordan returns to support the legacy program and provide evidence.t for bdri jordan's first voting experience was on the local level in 2010. last, but certainly not the wells.we have decarri he is a 16-year-old rising high school senior. he isn' a drummer, guitars, and music producer from birmingham. he is also a participant in the legacy use leadership program -- youth leadership program here at the birmingham civil rights institute. scarr, whicher of is -- an awareness and support group. he has a metal in bowling, and former drummer for the birmingham school band, and a participant in the after freedom event here at the birmingham civil rights institute. he is excited to say that he will be eligible to vote in the 2016 presidential election. i wouldt being said, like to hear from these four young people, and i know you are ready to hear from them. we will toss out our first question of the evening. i will start in the order that introduced. jared, would you respond to the idea that do you think use of of today areh concerned about political issues or do they see it as an old people problem? jared: i think it is a good mix of both. i have seen, in my generation, people i go to college with, it is a bit of both. just like what happen in charlotte yesterday, some issues , andto be taken a stand on there are some in my generation that do not take politics are voting as serious as they should, because i think it will not affect us, or this has no effect on my life. where, in the axle scheme of things, it could in the long run. think that, like he said, it is a mix of the two. some issues that pertain to certain people, they find important, and others, they don't. i also think the answer is based on the person's education, or surroundings. surroundings may not push voting or see as an important issue either. i think it depends. i think a lot of people don't understand. a lot of people may think that their voices don't matter, and that there won'i one vote will affectr what is going on. education is a big part. if people are taught therir vote matters, they will start voting. youth: i believe that the of today find that local issues are something they are concerned with. people around my age, or graduating seniors in high school see the issues of today affecting them, as they enter college, or college students see the issues as something that will affect their lives politically and economically as they graduate. ri: i agree with the others. it is kind of, when you talk about young people, do they care about political issues now. i think one of the reasons that young people don't care about political issues is because you don't have that many people like celebrities talking about political issues or how the youth need to get out and difference, and how much a difference they would make if young people voted. answers,oking at those it reminds me that dr. martin luther king talked about voting. he said that in the south, and i'm paraphrasing, african-americans can vote. in the north, african-americans have nothing with which to vote for. using the idea to enhance this thinkon, what do you would spur young people to vote? what issues do you think politicians are not addressing groundswellring a or grassroots movement of young people to the polls? i'm going to leave that for either one of you. jordan: i think a few of the issues that people are concerned with today that would bring more definitelyhe poll -- the reform of the education system, as far as to loans are concerned. the amount of money that students and their parents are asked to put out for education and the united states, whether or not they are able to afford it or not. if it was talked about more and andress -- in congress amongst our representatives, as far as what changes can be made, and what policies we can put to a vote to try to lighten the .oad for students not only student loans, but lgbt now,nity is very prevalent especially among youth, who have these feelings and live these lifestyles, but are not understood by the society that they live in. jared: i think it also determiningwith what is at stake. such as the lgbt community, if you can make that topic more available to the youth, they and be more likely to vote push for topics that the youth are involved with, such as student loans, for one. barry: recently, when the candidates started lining up to announce their intentions for the 2016 race, we had a hip-hop itist -- help me -- was wacka flacka? did i say that right? [laughter] from what i understand, he had a constitutional impediment to his campaign because he wasn't old idea,, but in the same not every office is the office of senator and president, and you don't have to be 35. what do you think would encourage more young people to step up and be political candidates? jordan: as far as on the local and i have heard this from other students who have voted -- they see the candidates who are voting to have their signs in the neighborhood, and toy go to the polls expected vote for one of those feared when they are done voting for them, they see a list of all of the positions of people running, and they had no information on who those people work, what the position is for. i think if they knew that there were other positions out there other than just the governorship or the representative, or president that needs attention within the communities that they can run for, and not only running for those positions can make a difference, those positions can lead to higher positions, to more experience, or more credit to whatever campaign they lead in the future if they want to pursue higher into government. jared: i think it has a lot to do with the knowledge of these positions like how much support would i receive if i went for this position. i think it has a lot to do with support. also, what changes to we need to doe -- what will you try to to see to that position? if you were together get position, how would you be able to handle it? you don't want to lead people in the wrong direction. barry: i have the idea in the inclinations of politics because i look at these resumes that we have here about you all. everything here says to me, "leader." you just mentioned the important thing, support. idea ofabout the student loans. we talk about the idea of the lgbt community. what other things do you think could be used to cobble together support for young candidate, and also a grassroots support for the candidate? jordan: a blacklist matter -- matter movement. honestly, the issue we have with racism has not been dealt with in this country. it has been swept under the rug, but not addressed on the local level or how people perceive the issues. i think a lot of people feel african-american, running for office, you are at an automatic disadvantage. the content a lot of people off who want to get involved in politics, but want to be involved in the limelight of the celebrity that comes with people recognizing you. people seeing you out on the voting trail, and tried to make a difference in your communities. i feel like it is harder when african-americans feel like they're going to be discriminated against -- they won't get a fair chance of getting to these positions, and eventually getting to representative positions or mayorship. liveshe issue of black matter, as far as people wanting to make a difference, and change the idea of racism, or how black people are perceived in this country would definitely be one of those grassroots movements spur mored african-americans to want to run for government positions. two of you are currently high school students. two of you are currently college students. one of the things that is going to be an issue in the 2016 of commons the idea core, and the development of curriculum in the united states of america. as students, currently, do you feel -- we talked about student loans and the ability to afford going to school, but let's walk back a little bit and talk about what we actually learn when we get there. do you feel as if the curriculum , with the academic stance, of this country is something that would interest you or potential voters? so.d: i would like to think we want to have families and see children, and see them get an education. i heard a quote from michael jordan say that you can be good at something and another , another. education level back in the 1990's is different from now. with that idea in mind, what you think is the right way might not be the best way of doing it. you see a lot of kids now using computers. i think, academically,, gore is going to be something that may just be spurred on by the different communities and organizations, and bring the future into day. it is something you just have to deal around. some people do not like hange. mr. mcnealy: we look at change. let's change our query and let's look at our second question of the evening that we have prepared. what are some of the reasons for the lack of participation in state and local elections by youth? jared: a lot of it has to do with the lack of education that is eating given to the youth in today's society because the issue of voting -- a lot of youth say if i cannot vote right now there is no need to pay attention to what is going on in our nation. a lot of times i would not pay attention to the news because i as young and did not realize how the impact would carry on to my day. just being informed about what is going on, and be able to go how the impact would carry on in and vote because some people think it will not have any impact here, because there is nothing going on inside the community. hey see how their community is set up, and it may not have an impact on what is going on. by cim getting a job somewhere in a different state, one of our that was comes back not to harm me, but bring something unexpected. set up, and it may not have an impact on what is going on. by cim getting a job somewhere it can have an impact. micah: i can agree that a reason for lack of anticipation is a lack of education. i will be a new voter in 2016. i know a lot of people my age do not know how to register to vote, where to go to register to vote, where the voting places are. do not understand why the need to vote in the first place, or even what they are voting for. they may not understand the laws that they are voting for, or even the people that they are voting for. when people start getting educated, it will motivate them to go and start the process of voting. mr. mcnealy: when do you think is a good time, in terms of age, to begin paying attention to politics? micah: i do not take there is an age, a specific starting age. i think that in schools, i think in middle school, schools hould start making it more adamant for students to pay attention and to start teaching them about the history of voting and how the vote and that sort of thing works. i never received that sort of adamant for students to pay attention and to start teaching education on why voting was important or how to do it. i had to do it outside of school. i had parents that supported me and got me involved with different organizations that stressed the importance of voting. i do not think there is a certain age, but i think in schools like middle school or elementary school. mr. mcnealy: i was talking to a coworker yesterday, and he was talking about the idea that barack obama could just come and speak and whoever wanted to be the next president he would support that person and that person would be elected. i'm trying to get over the idea that people develop a certain passion for a national candidate, and they tend to ose that passion when it comes to local candidates. the smaller elections, so much of whoever sits in the oval office is dependent upon who wins these down ticket elections. how do we get people to be interested in something like city council or state board of education or city board of education? i don't get people interested in the house of representatives and the senatorial elections? i don't get young people to think that those elections are just as important as the election for president or overnor? jordan: i would say televise and more. as far as the presidency goes, the presidential election gives recognition year round. the country is always good to talk about the president because he's the leader of our country. that is as it should be. at the same time, we need to talk about her state level representatives, the ones who are going to have to lead over those bills that he proposes. the ones who will make the decision based on how they feel about which policies they approve of and which ones they do not. we do not see them as much in the media, and the united states definitely has a lamorous view of the presidency, and we know not pay as much attention to the real changes, working on our level, closer to us. the ones within our community who were going to present these issues to the president so that he can come up with ideas, so that his cabinet members can come up with ideas that are going to be presented to congress and the house of representatives for them to vote on it. if we do not televise and show where those elections are going, especially in the areas involved, involved in that specific representative of the estate, then we kind of missile on it. we miss out on what the campaign is all about. not the first two bulletins of what they are trying to put forward, but the entire platform that we are missing, because it is nothing televised as much. it is not as noticeable as the presidential race. right now we have news report commercials constantly about he presidential race for 2016. one it comes time for the house of representatives or the governor to be elected, we do not advertise or show ads as much. we show little tidbits here and therefore one on a cruise, you do not go in the tool with their campaigns on. we do not have too much real knowledge of what they are base s, and it is not being presented to the public as uch. much of the reason why, you do not know who to vote for on the lower levels and state levels and local levels. r. mcnealy: this is a step on 2016. one it comes time for the house of representatives or the somebody's toes question. air warning. since we're talking about getting young people involved and local and state elections, do you feel that you and mental -- we as adults are a good example to model the civic rocess, or are we showing what we want young people to do? are we saying what we want young people to do, and not really doing it? jared: i think that question has a lot to do with personal experiences. my mom has gone to the presidential inaugurations, and my dad has encouraged me and my brothers. it has a lot to do with the educational level and where -- awareness of the parents involved. t may not be the fact that they know about voting but do not push the issue onto the children because of how they understand what voting is. it is a personal preference and experience question, but i cannot necessarily say it is because the parents do not have a good model. some can model and encourage, and talk about what is going on in the world today, or they may not. it has to like to does a lot to do with that. jordan: i am willing to backtrack a little bit on what i just said, you do have family members and community who are very intense about knowing who your candidates are in knowing who is running right in birmingham, being around just the older crowd and being in the neighborhood, especially my grandparents, you'll constantly hear the things -- talking about things on the city level and what their plans are, what they tried to do. not so much talking to me about it, but they are talking to each other about how they feel about this candidate, or about the current mayor, or the old are, or who is running for mayor next. the policies that they are going for, how they feel about hem. i feel like the parents, for the most art, there is an element where they are talking about it in amongst themselves, that is the idea of the second floor light. as far as the youth listening to that, as far as those onversations being directed to eu, i don't know. but i definitely know the adults are really concerned on the local level. i think that is because of age or being in society, you do have to pay attention to those rings should you have two pay more attention for the local level. that is why adults are more interested in what is happening on the local level while the youth are more focused on who the next resident is going to be. if they are going to solve a specific problem or that specific problem. jared: i think it is a good thing to pay attention to people who are running for senate have a certain county, because those people can become richer people in congress, and future presidents. knowing what they stand for specific problem. over the voting rights act the kids of the birmingham area, and one thing that they had is the idea of researching candidates than finding out who they were voting on them accordingly. with today, we were talking about mvc patent. e were working on an education in this date, in the 1940's. oday, research and candidates, hat sort of qualifications would you be looking for if he ere to research the person and go into their social media? what were you be looking for? jared: i would watch you see them as they are actively caring about what people are saying to them. i can tell you right now that they may tweet at a certain candidate, and they may say something, and let's say something is a serious clash. a couple of weeks ago, and is something that shows that he cares and a serious question is on the way. but i also want to you that he has timeout for important things. to be out there, it is all about answering questions as best as possible. hey are doing positive things, nd helping other people. i would say -- things. to be out there, it is all about answering questions as jordan: i would research the causes face of lord. data they support. are they destroy massive resources? different organizations that they are supporting, that they are promoting. if that lines up with him. ays something helpful to the community or just helps a select few people. helping the far right, or the far left. just seeing where they stand with certain issues. that is the main point of the election in total. knowing where your candidate them, because you have a democratic candidate, who is current principal when the policies, but on 13 issues. at that point, do you support them no matter what? ust knowing that organizations help with, organization they sponsor and were, who they represent and who represent all who is giving the money to their campaign. go back into the support their cause. decarri: for me it would have to be consistency. f they had switched up their ampaign, i am not going to have trust in them. that is one thing i would look for. r. mcnealy: you call to mind he idea of gravitas. the president has been criticized for going on be presidential do you think that you choose the applicants president. decarri: i really think it is where you can relate and enefit more. just a regular person that you can relate to. it is great to see this in the future. mr. mcnealy: do you think that his social media and going on the late show with david letterman and things like that, do you think that presidents should be doing that, should a politician do those things, or should those things be left to entertainers and people who are less serious? micah: i agree it makes him a bit more relatable. but i also think there can we a line that should be held. being on social media, and being on those shows, can make it relatable to a younger audience, but if he does it in the right way. jordan: it could be very beneficial to you, but at the same time it could hurt you. jared: if they ask you certain questions, you could answer in a controversial way. it could backfire and being sed as an attack against you and your campaign. while you are looking at it through that perspective, you have to stop and think what and your campaign. would be most unofficial to me, nd what would impact that? some event will not be as official as authors. some questions asked, you know how things goes in terms of this. mr. mcnealy: earlier i talked to you about political inclination. one of the things that people deal with is with today's 24-hour news cycle, and the dea that these little things we rarely have a private moment nowadays. do you think that it is something that would cause people to shy away from running for office and to submitting themselves to that sort of ntense scrutiny? ordan: i would think so. if you have ever seen barack obama on different talkshows or on twitter, people like to throw questions at him, relevant questions, completely irrelevant questions, question his authority, all sorts of things. people are out there to try to discredit you, or try to harm you. i would not say that it to determine a -- mr. mcnealy: 21 point one mouth -- putting your foot in your outh, half of the country is take her, and the other half is makers. everything you say can be taken nd used. it is a double-edged sword. ou get the publicity, then somebody like a live and take a sentence or a phrase or something that you said and come back in and beat you crazy with it. somebody like a live and take a is that something that as young people, i look at idealists, because you do have a way of looking at the world in a very idealistic way. does this despite you about this process? you check about the negative campaigns and you had earlier. are you disappointed in the level of our discussion? >> yes and no. jordan: i would say yes and no on that issue because -- how an i explain it? can you save the question again? mr. mcnealy: as young people, you are voting for your very first times. when you see the way that negative, and they also balance themselves against the room. as important as the democracy when you see the way that campaigns can go extremely is against the people, but this that disappoint you or dropping from a physical progress. jordan: it does this appointment because you have issues where a candidate can make i am looking for a candidate and i the one that i want to some work, and they say what of those things -- a line of what they said is taken out of context, and i would be want to some work, and they say orried about that one little thing that could be taken out of harm and the last campaign. the need to be able to step up to the platform they have created a the one they have presented to the public. if you make a statement on a certain issue, and someone comes back and challenges you wanted and says that you may have slipped up on in your campaign, you have to be able to come back. you have to be able to stand by her. if you make something out to be ble to explain it. you hear them saying we should have that sort of debate, but recorded as -- recorded as -- micah: four visit can be as confusing because they are still trying to figure out what you want in a candidate. what values he supports -- you what is one. what values he supports -- you want to separate yourself because it is so hard to tell mr. mcnealy: somebody switching positions, as human beings, we opefully encounter new information and new stimuli and things about the process. but jericho back to that double-edged sword, for example barack obama support homosexual arriage. they got ahead of him and said support that. amously, but then you have other people that would take is illusion and music -- flip-flopping. the girls don't hear built all these old. my question is, where is the oom for intelligent altering f your position and where do we draw the line to say that this is a person who might say anything, but -- decarri: it is a thing over time. a few changes and the letter over time, you get sadness and orrow. you're just trying to do whatever you think is possibly went or six. it is more of a thing that you have. then, is all evolving, as you said. ave. mr. mcnealy: people can do hings from the world the moment, but the ideas that have had mentioned it to happen for your important. earlier, we had an impromptu istory lesson that you all did high school and you don't want o do it anymore. i stopped with the 19 amendment. and in its 26th amendment. that is where we start this discussion in bringing young people to the table. hopefully encouraging of people, we have to remember one of the reasons things do not get done in terms of your eople is in cannot vote. usually, the politicians who -- usually that pollock is going to deal with -- their -- that politician is going to deal with their particular issue. amendment, oneth had to be 21 years of age in this country to vote. now, the new ages 18 to sell, as we began to look at that, what issues -- we have already discussed and we could expand upon this, if you would like, what -- but we discussed student loans, we discussed common core, .e discussed lgbtq community our next question brings us to this idea, once again -- what particular thing -- what i would really like for you to do, if things thatto give vote.drive you to if you knew -- [indiscernible] mediais person on social was -- [indiscernible] -- and we researched them and we follow them, what one thing would you be able to latch onto to make your decision between candidate a and candidate b? ok. [indiscernible] pieces, that is something we don't do a good job on the asked -- does a good job on jekyll asked -- job on? we asked questions at the time of the bigger problem is the oversight questions without thinking it -- the problem is when people respond to questions without thinking. .ut this is ok >> [indiscernible] >> [indiscernible] [laughter] [indiscernible] >> a question. you are asking us what would make us choose between candidate a and candidate b? mr. mcnealy: yes, two candidates . they are fairly similar in their background. staying away from party here. let's not deal with party. let's say this is a primary and everyone is the same party. you to pickush candidate a over candidate b to be the person who is going to get the nomination and run for that office? >> i would say what decides -- besides their values kind of aligning with mine, i guess heing sure -- kind of what was saying earlier. just making sure they are not talking and their actions back up what they are saying. and they have a history of doing so. if that was the difference between the two, i would pick that one over the other. mr. mcnealy: ok. if action matches words. over a particular issue or a particular thing about somebody that would make you pick that other person who is trying to get that nomination. what about no homework for a year? [laughter] i am the no homework candidates. i him being facetious, but when we look at our elections, look at every governor from the history of alabama and i expected this probably in all 50 states, but everyone that runs for governor is always an education governor. every four years. [indiscernible] what would you -- what would you suggest to get that person from just -- education and something to you that speaks to you? >> i would say there -- that that was on racial equality, economically. they stand and position themselves. whether stand on the issue was -- would probably be that one deciding factor, but honestly i don't think i could say there would be just one deciding factor. for me, it is hard to choose. if i'm looking at two candidates, especially if they are in the same party, and i see their campaigns are for the most part equally good and there is only one that has one thing that i like, i would still be hesitant to go with that candidate because i know when they do get the presidency, it is not a guarantee that they will be able to go through with that plan. there is no guarantee that that will be one of the things that they can for sure get past -- passed or one of the things they can for certain commit their campaign or their office doing. are running on that concept is office they see that they have to focus more on other issues, that is where my mind goes i am always thinkingtwo -- that is where my mind goes to i am -- goes. i'm with thinking steps -- two steps down the line. the -- bigger have to focus -- they may have to focus in more on taxes or education, but there is no guarantee that they will be able to focus directly and on racial tensions, as far as economics go. whether everyone is being treated fairly, getting paid equally. not just racially, but gender equality, as well. guess -- [laughter] be thatl equality would one thing, but i honestly can't say it would you just one thing to make me go left or right. mr. mcnealy: ok. gender and racial equality. we can walk into our next question with that. and our next question deals with the idea of the voting rights seen 50 yearsve since this has been signed. questionsare a lot of around that, but i'm going to stick to this and just say in terms of the voting rights act, in terms of racial equality, how do you, as a young person, feel you have been impacted by the voting rights act? >> i think after watching the election back in 2000 of, it [indiscernible] -- i can have my say so, as well. i think i got the sense of pride in my country does this is something that i have a right to do and i just did it for the first i've heard so make to the values of them in the three less this -- court justices something like that -- is just the through -- just to do something like that. >> i think there are positive things. i do understand the value of my boat and i am thankful for it -- but and i thankful for it, not just in terms of how it has impacted myself, i think since it became so accessible for so many different people, people kind of diminished the value of voting from it, i guess. so, i mean, we had the right to vote, but not everyone is utilizing it. so it kind of is a downturn. mr. mcnealy: that is interesting. and just going to read the rest of little bit -- so, you seem to think that if people felt their right to vote was threatened, they might take it more seriously. do you seem to think that? >> no, i don't think any is to be threatened, but i think they need to understand how important it is again because i think when people didn't have the right, they understood how important it was to gain it. so now that we have it, we have, lost the understanding of why it is important. we need to get that back and teach younger people why it is important and why it is so valuable. mr. mcnealy: ok. well, with that, you guys have been a panel, but now i would like to open this up, in terms people.ng it up to the so, i would like to introduce you all to kendall. she is the lady with the microphone. i should also tell you that she is the lady that has worked tirelessly to arrange everything that you are looking at this afternoon. >> [applause] we are all talking heads. [laughter] concerns, comments. kendall will come to you. >> [indiscernible] >> good evening. inoted in my first election 1978. i walked to the polls to register in 1977. the president had just been in 1976.gerald ford, what challenges do you have as young people now as for getting to the polls and playing a vital role in the political process? at your age now. >> i don't think there is too much of anything he here -- keeping us from getting to the polls. i know in birmingham, our local elementary schools, they use the voting facilities. local churches, community centers, you have a lot of places located all throughout the community that you can go to to place your vote. i think they are designed, for the most part, to be accessible to everyone. for me, from where i live, it would be a three or four block walk to the elementary school to be able to vote. mucht is really not so anything restraining us physically from getting to these places if we are willing to get up and actually go to them. but more so our stance or whether or not we feel like we should or would want to vote. >> and most elections -- [indiscernible] -- now -- what do think that amount is causing you are to be so absent? realize whatt effect this is where you have mmr might have come when it is that time i met visual effects of time it may be too late to try and, you know, both on existing chase on some more -- -- that weng that are the, ok, this is a problem with it and we need to solve it before it gets out of hand. since well live now -- had some elections -- >> [indiscernible] >> community service? >> what are you all doing to help people know about -- [indiscernible] -- what are you doing to that end? -- ill, i -- i think that do -- i am a journalist for alabama television, so the project that i worked on last season was the voting rights act and we would go into classrooms. we went to selma, we went to montgomery, we went to different places and interview different people and try to raise awareness for voting and where we should be in the future. and kind of showing people the importance of it. then little things like that to try and raise awareness for voting. >> well, i think i'm going to be honest here. [laughter] i haven't done as much as i should have. [indiscernible] way for me to help raise such awareness. my 80'shelp more people -- age and learning that it is really, really important for our government to support young people to vote because you only have certain people voting in this country. the way the structure of the country is, it really doesn't work that well. you have the people left out -- [indiscernible] >> and i have to interject. i was going to try not to, but they are being bashful because --se four students are doing because of what these four students are doing. they are planning for their future and for their community's future. on being one of the youngest the panel, he came up to me one day and said, i want to be a part of this. they might not- be able to put it into words because these are very hands-on youth -- and i think you will see that in this generation and you are seeing that in this generation that they're actually doing a lot of the work. >> very much so. >> and, i am sorry, next question? >> i would like to commend the panel. you are all very intelligent. >> [applause] >> -- entertaining and you are interesting. even my husband, he is interested. >> [applause] >> my question to you is -- i know in your future, you are going to do some great things. future,king about your thinking about your future forwards, there we see any of you thinking about getting into politics? and if so, which office would you be interested in? >> yes. back to being -- [indiscernible] >> [laughter] strange on the issue because i love history, but i can't stand politics. [laughter] funny and it is kind of because most of the things i worry about are in politics. so, i don't see myself running for any office, but trying to myself or any position, but as far as working towards -- like i was talking about a lot earlier -- racial equality, gender inequality, helping people understand the facts of life on the issues so that people can understand the other side. where people are coming from when black people say that we want our equal rights. where we are coming from when we say that we are tied of thing gunned down by police officers -- we are tired of being gunned down by police officers. those are social and cultural issues, but they are not going to be solved unless they are presented in a political sense. so, i just -- i kind of see myself at this moment trying to help educate, trying to help show people what the issues are, why it is a problem for so many people, and try to create something and make a difference. but as far as a political office, i don't know. [laughter] >> [indiscernible] i can't foresee myself in the near future, graduating next spring, all of a sudden going into politics. but with me being a public health major, i would definitely like to see a change and how, for example, obama is one of the theest -- alabama is one of highest rates in the states -- [indiscernible] something ino do communications, now i find myself majoring in public health and i want to do something about that. >> can i agree with jordan? educate and i like to have conversations and go out and talk about police brutality and voting and those sort of things. what honestly, i want to go into the sciences. i want to be a wildlife researcher. so i'm kind of a sit in, but i would still like to have discussions with people and spread the word. don't see really myself getting and politics. but really my goal in life will me, i want to get to a platform where i can try to help educate other people and try to help other people in different ways. that is what my main goal is. so, i really don't see myself being a politician. well, i just wanted to say thank you all for this form. i think that we need more of this type of situation in order to educate our young people. and i think this issue is just like charity, -- [indiscernible] we talk about educating the youth in our schools, but what about at home? and i real feel -- really feel that this is where it begins. nh is start at an early age. [indiscernible] awareness of the voting process and to try and teach him about how important it is to be a part of this process. you know, we have had people that have died to have this right. and i think that everyone should exercise that right. but there are some people that are not getting it at home. and i think once you start getting at, it becomes -- [indiscernible] vote, so theyo have to do the same thing. so i really want to thank you all. i really appreciated this and i really enjoyed it. that -- nted to say [indiscernible] -- we have a lot of future politicians out of this room, not only the panelists, but the other youth in this room. so that is my hope and my prayer for the future because we are all looking for our future leaders and i know we have some right here in this room. thank you all. >> hello, everyone. my name is carlos. first off, i want to thank the panel. you guys are phenomenal. i am glad to see such brave, young people discussing these issues. right now, i am a youth director. we pretty much register young people to vote and talk to young people about getting interested in voting because, you know, young people, we are the future of this country. and we have to get out and educate each other. we have to get out -- and i am huge on this -- i think it is more so about meeting people where they are. so when we are talking about voter registration, i believe that we have to go to those young people. becan't just expect it to taught in schools because we know the schools teach what they want to teach and not what they actually use and rely. schools teach trigonometry and we never -- >> [laughter] -- >> they don't teach us how to write checks or do things we actually need, so voting is something we have to teach each other how to do. i am a candidate running for my first public office. i believe as young people, we have to step up to the plate and encourage other young people to get out. i have worked on political campaigns at the national level, the local level, but what i have learned from those elections is that young people are not interested because we don't have -- because we don't make them interested. we have to meet them where they are. >> [laughter] trig is really interesting. [laughter] i think trigonometry is a interesting. >> [laughter] >> [indiscernible] >> i have a question. [indiscernible] -- on police brutality and a lot of the stuff going on recently. how do you think social media has an effect on that? it is something i call a social media activist. people post and don't actually get involved. it is almost, like, people band wakening for their favorite -- bandwagoning for their favorite nba team. what do you guys think about that? >> you will see some of the same people that are other posting on social media saying -- saying hastag this, -- hashtag this, hashtag that. are you actually out here trying to talk to people or are you just putting it up on social media just to get retweets or favorites or get attention? are notok, but if you getting attention by doing it the right way, then it doesn't help the cause, it doesn't push it forward at all. so it hurts more than anything. it also uses a tragedy for your own personal gain. >> next question. or -- [indiscernible] >> i think, actually -- oh. >> i get the feeling that a lot of people nowadays have sort of -- [indiscernible] they forget about what is going on. they don't continue on with that first thought. i think that is one of the problems. with what is going on and how some people just post, like you said, just posting to get attention. >> me, personally, i am one of those people who see things on blr, and, tumbler -- tum i am constantly posting and making my statement about it. i have my moments when i am, like, oh, my gosh, here we go again. i don't have the time to comment right now, post. [laughter] but i have my moment when i have to speak out, i have to say something. whether or not i'm able to do it publicly. when i first came back to the institute this year, i was talking to a bunch of the workers here about actually justicesething about or police brutality, tying to get some knowledge from education, something going so that people are just in this movement where people are trying to fight for their rights, trying to fight for their lives. that, and ird to do say it is hard to do that especially in birmingham because birmingham has lost a very large element of its former racism. birmingham is a really calm place now. we have a majority black police squad. i don't know if we have a majority black police department, but our chief of police is a black man. so, there is an element of we are not going to tolerate racism and our infrastructure in this city. and there is still element of racism in birmingham, but it is not as prevalent. whereone of those places police officers are gunning people down on the sidewalk or thinking someone is pulling something out of their pocket and issued them on the spot or dragging kids from a pool party. birmingham is not one of the places that do that. not saying that one of the -- one of those event could happen here, it could. it could happen anywhere. i haven't seen any reports of where it has happened here. but i know the state of alabama as a whole israel much inclined to that -- is very much inclined to that kind of behavior. so for me, as one who was to promote issue of the issue -- promote awareness of the issue, promote awareness of brutality, promote what we as african americans, especially the youth, can be doing to notify people to gain some ground in expanding what is tackling -- what is happening, and gauge -- gain some ground in tackling these situations, there is a little resistance in that because it almost feels misplaced because a lot of that don't see us -- that here in the city. why should that bother me? when in reality, you go two pounds over and one of these things to happen to you. you can go to any one of our surrounding states and it will happen to you. and it is hard to get that across to people because it is not right in front of them. and because it is not written front of them, it is hard to make people -- not right in front of them, it is hard to make people take action. just me, personally, seeing reports on the news of friends that have been discriminated and then on top of that, seeing things on facebook, on tumblr, seeing things through twitter that have happened and are still happening, it is -- it is sad. it is really, really sad. and it is hard to make -- not necessarily make anyone want to cooperate with the movement of change in those things, but it is hard to get people to recognize that when their current position as so peaceful, and they are not necessarily thinking what is happening to my neighbors to states over. -- two states over. >> i see it as a negative and a positive. it makes people lazy and not just at the on the cell phone, but i also see it as a positive because this is not something new. it is happening all the time and it has happened before. but now you have a cell phone, you just whip out, slide it out with a camera and you can videotape in a matter of seconds. and in another matter of seconds, posted it to any number of websites. and it is out there. we all know what is going on. so i find that is a plus. and with social media, you are kind of keeping it in people's faces, too. they see it before seven. -- and i also -- they see it 24/7. and people can go and share their stories. then it can trend and go off very quickly, and you can go on instagram or twitter and say, hey, we are having a protest at 5:00. then you get tons of attention from that. but think it is a plus, also a negative, like everyone else said. [indiscernible]- -- the honorable judge norman. for domesticnning court of place 23 in 2016. i am the mother of two young men , one that is 24 that has passed, but one that is 21. and he is a senior at stanford. i find -- and i want to apply to young people because i am so excited -- applaud you young people because i'm so excited about how motivated you are. because when i listen to my son, he is so jaded. and i am like your mother. i have drug him to every polling booth from the time they were babies. and i have to literally make him vote. he is so jaded. i don't know if it is because of the people he associates with at times, or if it is because -- and i want to, of course, after that. he is doing an internship at city hall. and i really had to make them. thatn, this was a blessing anybody would want. and he -- at first, he refused. and then my husband had to go and talk to him and it was a little bit different with him. jaded and i don't know if it is -- [indiscernible] -- but i want to ask you young people, why your generation, the young folks, we need you to come out and vote and get a part of this thing and be a part of it and make it all happen. why do you feel so jaded when it comes to politics? why do feel that every politician lies? i know you have some reasons for that, but why? and i am asking the panel. you guys are really amazing out there because i thought we lost it. but why do you think that -- that -- that your generation is so jaded when it comes to the political arena? our generation -- there is no -- [indiscernible] -- to that answer. but i think, and especially for me, we live in a generation where our society is much more diverse. everyone sees social issues. everyone sees social issues differently. and you said your son went to stanford. i was at the university of west alabama for a well. before that, i was at the university of alabama at birmingham. uab is definitely one of the most diverse campuses i have ever been on. so you have a lot of different positions and you hear different ideas, how people think, and you have a point on that. and you weigh in on a lot of those things. a lot of us usually get burned out on it. we don't want to deal with it or we don't want to even look at the issue because it is, like, at the end of the day, does our vote even really count deco we have the electoral -- count? we have the electoral college, different things so that we don't really, really have a voice. we get burnt out on it. and then looking at the positions of the candidates, what they want to do, and receive where we want to see accomplished -- whether or not that candidate is going about accomplishing that at all or they say they want to go about fixing an issue, but are not going about it the right way. is there plan to do it right? , if the other candidate will just completely -- [indiscernible] -- i am voting for the left -- lesser of two evils here, that really does deter people from wanting to vote at all because you are, like, if i vote for this guy, he is probably going to segregate the united states again. [laughter] if i vote for this guy, he is going to promise me that they are going to lower student loans, but where is that money going to come from that they are going to use to replace all that? how are they going to find this project to pay for student loans? how are we going to pay for this project to cut loans in half? and we see that and we are, like, ok, you can do that, but some are down the line, you are good has a many people degrees, no jobs for these people to go into so it is not even going to matter that you cut their bill in half, they still can't afford it. the interest rates are still going to keep steadily going up. so you kind of feel burnt out. is there really even a point to this? so, i mean, that is just one aspect of why i think we get jaded about it because we get to the point where we are so fed up, so tired we don't want to deal with it anymore. >> [indiscernible] >> [laughter] >> [indiscernible] >> i think we think a lot alike. [laughter] >> [indiscernible] >> yes and no, because -- especially when we get to college, we are kind of freethinkers. we want to go out on our own and experience things. and one of the main things is the world doesn't think for ourselves. and when a parent tell us things, we usually don't like to listen. a lot of times we just have to experience things on our own. so we don't want to hear you guys, but honestly, parents should. they should talk to their children about it. get to them wound up to want to vote. tell them, look, this is the situation you are worried about, but there are other issues on the table. not just that. and if this candidate is saying -- like i was saying earlier, this is why just one thing couldn't make up my mind of which candidate to vote. if this candidate is pushing for a, b, and c, and your interests are b, c, and d, are you still going to vote for them even know you don't agree with a? are you still going to push for those other things that they are going to mess up what you think is ideal for a or whatever subject to this? or are you going to go for the other candidate who either doesn't care at all about those issues and is on something completely different? the main point, especially for parents, is to show them even though you have those positions where you feel like this candidate is good, but they are not going to do anything for me, they should still vote because there is opportunities for that candidate to take on more projects later. there is no guarantee that some of the things the candidate stated are going to be the things they are going to act upon or they are going to be able to act upon or they are going to put more effort in two, so it is more so showing them that there are other factors of your life that need attention, there are other factors of being a citizen better going to matter rather than just that one thing and you still should voice your opinion on that. >> i think also to follow up on what george is saying is that the votes should be -- [indiscernible] -- i think about me being a student at uab. because why can't they -- [indiscernible] say two people vote for one position and -- [indiscernible] it has to be prioritized that your votes to matter and people of your generation realize that because it can have an impact. and if you are able to encourage the younger generation -- yeah, it is small income, but it is a small increase, but the amount of people -- that is 40,000 young kids that have just voted. [indiscernible] >> and then not just the parents, but those candidates who are on a local level, only to get a president that has a stance on certain issues, our our localers -- are leaders going to inform us of how that system works? are they backing that system or are they against that system? and really it comes down to being able to know your local officials, your local leaders, because they are the ones who will ultimately place their vote on the bill got the president wants to do something about student loans. this is my plan for student loans. and if we don't vote on a local level, that we don't know who is going to said, oh, obama got your bill. i don't feel like reading it. [laughter] let me look at this into a have to say. ok, i agree with that. then that official -- do they go back and report to the people their position on it to echo do they go -- on it? do they go back and discuss it with the community? what the community's ideas are on it? and what do you think we should do in this situation? to just -- just being able see on the local level where they stand on it would create much more influence to vote because we are trying to -- our point is to get them more involved in local level voting. on the local levels backing that? at the local level officials supporting our cause is -- , what we are asking them causes, what we are asking them to support? the -- and, by the way, i have to say i was kind of chart by the idea -- jarred by the idea that you all are not come at this point, interested in politics. but that takes us to a question we ask everyone this evening, and the question we asked was, what do you see to be the biggest problem in politics? and we thought it was a two state to conduct a little election of our own this evening. -- to conduct a little election of her own this evening. so as he walked in, you had your ballot. and i have here the results of that election. and what i would like to do that we don't always do in congress -- people make votes, but they don't always stand up to their vote, so what i would like to do is when i call up the issue you voted for, raise your hand so we can kind of get an idea of these things. so, biggest problems in politics. vote, education. >> [indiscernible] this was an interesting vote. preventable parties. >> i didn't vote, but i would agree to that. mr. mcnealy: at the outset, we were warned against political parties. in fact, george washington said that people would become more interested in party then country -- than country. infection than progress. [indiscernible] respect of politicians. ok. and last, but certainly not least, race and class issues and lack of support. i will say that one, too. there have been many, many different things we have encountered this evening and we have heard this evening. as one of the things we talked about was education, at the rear of the room, we have a former founding board member of the birmingham civil rights movement, and that is my mentor, who i call him my coach, peggy sparks. and she has been with this community -- >> [applause] to mcnealy: -- trying enhance the educational conflicts that we have here in birmingham throughout this date. one of the things she works with is called the national issues forum. school is not familiar with it and does not participate in it, it is really something that is a powerful ideato bring people to the of liberation. and liberation as one of those things we have to do before we decide what the issues are and who the leaders are that we plan to allow to have a vote. and she works tirelessly with that and is still something that exist today, so i encourage everybody to try to find their way to the national issues forum. and if you would like to give a brief statement -- >> [indiscernible] -- because she was so informed about the issues and she was plans, herluence her church members, and she got 18 votes that she knew she was responsible for getting. so thank you for the opportunity. mr. mcnealy: and thank you all for coming out. this concludes our program this evening. outmake sure that you fill one of the evaluation forms. that is how we know what we need to work on, that is how we -- that is how we know how to plan the next program. so, thank you so much. >> before you guys leave, we just want to put a save the date out there. our next voting rights discussion will be on july 16, where we will discuss restoring your right to vote. and the final one will be august 6. holder.he holder -- vs and i guess to then will be -- [indiscernible] -- president of the naacp chapter in shelby county. please fill out your evaluations and thank you all so much. >> [indistinct chatter] >> also, if you are not registered to vote, the cards will be in the back. [indiscernible] >> [indistinct chatter] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] >> [indistinct chatter] announcer: tonight on c-span, a look at how cities are using social media and smart to provide better services. the chief innovation officer of e-republic, he talks about nb.ies that use uber and airb see the embracing of discussion for -- destruction for public good. this is one of my favorite examples. they use uber to help cart individuals to jury duty. that is a big problem in government right now. most people want to get out of jury duty, but if you have a black town car pick you up, you may be a little bit more inclined to actually do it. rather than try to regulate gate and and these technologies -- regulate and ban these technologies, they look at how to use it for good. they figured out they could save millions of dollars by leveraging the infrastructure of uber to cart senior citizens around, and it is more convenient. they can report it whenever they need to have an uber car roll up. looking at aribnb, there is also examples of this for resiliency -- airbnb, there is also examples of this for resiliency. there is an automatic need for housing when disasters happen. you have to have a way to house these residents. what people realized is they can leverage the airbnb to house this placed residence in the event of a natural disaster. again, using the sharing economy and flipping them around to allow them to solve a public problem and to be used for good. announcer: a look at how cities are using social media, online sharing services, and smart phones to provide better services. tonight at 8:00 eastern on c-span. next, a portion of a senate banking committee on the iran agreement, looking specifically at the issues of sanctions. witnesses include wendy sherman, a key negotiator for the united states. this is just over two hours. >> [indistinct chatter] >> much has changed since the senate held a hearing. since then, there has been a nuclear agreement with a ran after numerous -- iran after numerous delays. many concerns have been raised including, first and foremost, whether it would prevent iran from continuing on its interest path to a nuclear weapon. and although a new deal has been reached, fundamental problems remain with iran. who'suntry upon assurances rest. it remains a serious risk to the national security interests of the united states. it remains a constant threat to the survival of israel. and despite these grave concerns, it will remain a country with a capability to enrich uranium. under the circumstances, i believe it is critical that congress conduct a thorough review of the agreement as required by the iran nuclear agreement review act. as part of this review, the banking committee will focus specifically on analyzing the sanctions relief provided in the nuclear agreement and the implications of taking such actions. in recent weeks, many colleagues have expressed skepticism. for example, they really presided to a van under this deal would allow us to rejoin the international -- would allow it to rejoin the international economic system. over time, this would give iran the financial means to increase its support of terrorism and regional destabilization. in addition to mechanisms for be imposing the harshest sanctions, should iran not comply with parts of the deal, may prove an effective except in the most extreme cases of violation. many view it as iran's license to teach. as long as such cheating falls just short of a significant violation of the agreement. financial sanctions have become a critical tool of u.s. foreign policy and they are an important part of this committee's jurisdiction. this committee was instrumental in imposing the sanctions that brought iran to the negotiations in the first place. i believe it is essential for u.s. sanctions law and policy to continue to evolve to meet any new security challenges presented by iran. today, the committee will hear from two panels. we will hear from the administration's lead negotiator of the agreement. following this, the committee will receive testimony from a panel of experts who have studied the agreement extensively, including officials from the previous administration. senator brown. mr. brown: thank you, mr. chairman. they give for being here and you're very important public service. we will hear from a second panel, four witnesses who worked in the bush administration. in fact, this will process began in the bush administration with the republican president who was, in the wake of the iraq war, willing to engage iran diplomatically. secretary kerry observed and ,enator corker's and -- corker the bush administration laid the foundation for what became the for agreement and return strict sanctions. in june 2008, president bush's national security adviser signed a memorandum with the p5+1 that said that in return for iran during key things to limit its nuclear program, united states was ready to do a number of things. one, to recognize iran's right to nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. two, treat iran's nuclear program like other non-nuclear and the state -- peaceful nature of its program could be restored. three, provide technical financial aid for peaceful nuclear energy. and fourth, to work with iran on confidence building measures, and allow for civil aviation cooperation. that was -- that was condoleezza rice's agreement at the time. this should sound familiar because it was the early outline of the iran agreement just completed. that is probably why i have been so disappointed, so disappointed, in the politicized nature of this debate so far, including from colleagues coming out in opposition to the agreement within hours of its release, even though it is over 100 pages long and very dense and complicated to read. this is one of the most significant national security issues congress will face for a generation. i say that the most important -- this will be the second or most important book i have overcast in policy. this should not be subject to partisan attacks and political ad worse, even though it has been. congress should give this agreement the serious debate it deserves. window iran is a sponsor of terrorism -- we know iran is a sponsor of terrorism, we know it that is why western policymakers agreed to separate out and try to secure agreement on this issue. n iran with a nuclear weapon would be especially dangerous to us, israel, and the region. that was the single goal, to keep iran from getting a nuclear weapon. verification is a key. it is not a question of trust. of course, we have to understand how their case and will -- how verification will work. will our intelligent capabilities be able to detect cheating? will iran's breakout time extended

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