In an election cycle marked by racial tensions and controversial voter ID laws, a community panel at the Black and Brown Vote Discussion Wednesday night emphasized to students the importance of voting in November as well as engaging in non-traditional methods of civic action.
The panel—composed of journalism professor Mike Wagner, history professor Cindy I-Fen Cheng, Associated Students of Madison Vice Chair Mariam Coker, student activist Jessica Franco-Morales, co-founder of Young Gifted and Black Coalition Matthew Braunginn and alumna of the PEOPLE program Jessenia Gomez—urged those in attendance to vote and organize through non-traditional methods to enact change on campus and in the community. Wisconsin Black Student Union President Marquise Mays moderated the discussion.
“It’s impressive to see a full room and news media and ... lots of people who are coming together to have a conversation about what kind of community people want it to be,” Wagner said.
Students, faculty and media representatives packed the Multicultural Student Center in the Red Gym to hear the discussion. The topics covered student empowerment through organization, obtaining a political education and empowering friends and family to become civically engaged.
“I think what many of the speakers here promoted was that even though they may recognize there are other ways and other more effective ways for social change, voting is definitely in there,” Cheng said. “And so the point is that it’s still important, and this is an incredible avenue to still engage civically and it’s right here, don’t waste it, and get involved.”
