Teens
A Powerful Photo Series on The Evolution of Young, First-Time Voters
Written by REP CO
Photography by Photographed by Smeeta Mahanti
Oct 22, 2020
As any parent knows, a child grows leaps and bounds in one year—and within four years, they can feel like a totally different person. It’s over this longer time span that Smeeta Mahanti decided to photograph and interview a group of over 300 youngsters (aged 10 to 17), starting in the pivotal election year 2016, asking them to write a message to the world. In August of 2020, she followed up with 8 of these Bay Area-based subjects, who were 14 in 2016, but are now of legal voting age: 18. “They have spent 4 years at the heart of a revolution,” says Mahanti. “Today, they are gearing up to exercise their right to vote in their first presidential election.”
Get to know four of these stories: the young subjects’ hopes, fears, and most pressing concerns—and how they’ve evolved over the past 4 years—below.
MOTHER is publishing this 2-part story in partnership with REP CO, a brand new storytelling collaborative that covers issues of racial and social justice and is powered by volunteer media professionals. To read their other stories, or to find out how to join them, visit representcollaborative.com.
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Which issues are most important to you?
“The issues that are most important to me are all intersectional. They include racial justice, ableism, environmentalism, etc. I have had personal experiences with each of these societal problems leading me to become dedicated to working towards solutions and change.”
What are some of the most significant political moments in the past four years and how did they drive you to create change?
“In middle school I was called 'pretty for a Black girl,' and it forced me to confront anti-Blackness within myself. It prompted me to read about anti-racism and take a deeper dive into race in American than I ever had before. My proximity to whiteness, my socio-economic status, my participation in structures of racism, and my responsibility as a women of color. I also participate in Parliamentary debate, which has introduced me to critical race theory, ecological theories, and the ability to advocate for myself with confidence and dignity.”
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How has social media impacted how you interact with politics?
“The landscape of social media has deeply impacted my proximity to politics and activism. It has opened up a world of possibility for change-making in our generation. It gives young people a platform where they can influence peers and organize movements and events. I have participated in events to support BLM through social media organizing, and learned about various books and authors through peers on social media as well.”
Why should we listen to young people?
“Young voices are often deemed uniformed or immature especially when it comes to voicing radical changes. This is because our society is designed to reproduce the ideas that keep us invested in normalized systems of oppression. Young people in my community are rejecting the notion that the issues we see in society today are natural and unchangeable. Older generations sometimes forget that radical changes are the only reason we have made any progress, and that the road doesn’t end here. Listening to young people with radical ideas has been historically beneficial in the fight for equity.”
Do you feel empowered?
“I feel empowered by my peers and every organization and individual fighting the good fight. I feel empowered by my ability to choose what I dedicate my life too. I feel empowered by positive change.”
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Which issues are most important to you?
“I feel like every day it changes, unfortunately. But currently, how we as a country are going to get out of this pandemic that we are in, how we are going to get rid of the division that is in our country, and how to hold the police, and people in power accountable for their actions, with the killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and now Jacob Blake.”
What are some of the most significant political moments in the past four years and how did they drive you to create change?
“The election of Donald Trump and taking a Politics and Power class at Berkeley High were the two most significant political moments for me. Before 2016, I didn’t think a lot about politics, but everything has felt heightened since then, and the class taught me about the inner workings of politics and why it’s important to care. Before taking the class, I thought that politics was slow because nothing was getting done, but now I understand that the process and division of power protects us.”
How has social media impacted how you interact with politics?
“Social media has created a bubble for people’s thoughts and views. It’s designed to bring you closer to people that are more agreeable and likable to what you believe. Therefore it leads to people assuming that their views are correct and the other side is wrong. It also allows for conspiracies to continue to remain true, because it gives people a voice and an audience that agrees with them.”
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How do you think the Gen Z perspective differs from older generations?
“The biggest change that I see is the ability to stand up for people outside of our identification groups/communities. I feel like generations of the past have a strong ‘we are us and they are them’ mentality, and because of this group mentality amongst people, it halts action in the way we help people that don’t look like us or come from the same places that we do. I feel like as an Asian American I’ve been historically told that I need to stay in my lane and disassociate myself from others, because that is how I survive in this country, by not looking out for other people. But now the younger generation I feel has more empathy towards each other, and with the internet and social media, we can connect so easily, and are so integrated into each other's lives that we look out for each other, and we must continue to do so because it’s the right thing to do.”
What gives you hope?
“At the moment, sports gives me hope, Particularly the NBA writing Black Lives Matter on the courts, and players speaking out. Basketball is being used as a unifying platform, but the players are prioritizing the message of Black Lives Matter over basketball, and people of all backgrounds are watching.”
Any advice you would give to future voters?
“Even if you don’t think your vote matters it does, and young people have the most to say but the lowest voter turnout and the vote gives you a voice.”
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Who are the people who have inspired you most over the last 4 years?
“Hearing about how John Lewis was still fighting for change is so inspirational to me. Knowing that he never gave up on the message of everyone being equal is big. It showed that even when times were tough, he got right back up and kept fighting for what he believed in. Also, Katherine Johnson and the work she did for NASA is incredible to hear. I learned more about her during my project in high school as we highlighted 'Black Excellence.' Not only is she a an American hero, but she is also a role model for African Americans, especially African American women who want to further their studies in math and science.”
How has social media impacted how you interact with politics?
“Social media is where young people can express their beliefs on more than just politics. It is interesting to see my friends viewpoints on the president, candidates, and certain topics such as incarceration and abortion. I see it as a place where we can express how we feel, and also learn how others might feel.”
Why should we listen to young people?
“Because we are the future of this country. As the older generations leave this earth, we, the younger people, are next in line make this country a better place for the next generation.”
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What are the biggest issues effecting your generation?
“Police brutality and climate change.”
What political shifts you have seen over the last 4 years, both positive and negative?
“I have not seen many positive shifts, although more of my generation is getting involved. Racial separation—people are polarized in their groups—and racial inequity.”
Do you feel empowered?
“I felt empowered when Barack Obama was president. However, now I feel less so. I have an actual vote in the upcoming election but I worry it may not count.”
What changes do you want to see?
“A new president who actually cares about the people and their needs.”
What is your greatest fear?
“That I am stopped by the police. That Trump is president again.”
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What are some of the most significant political moments in the past four years and how did they drive you to create change?
“Trump’s election drove me into a whole other level of activism than before. While I had already seen what he spoke of—misogyny, racism, anti-migrant, anti-muslim—first hand. The face of hatred was now the president of my country. I feared for my life, my little brothers’ lives, my family and friends’ lives. His existence and power in office was a direct attack on all BIPOC everywhere, I could no longer be mad at home. I have been protesting ever since, in every possible way.”
Who are the people who have inspired you most over the last 4 years?
“One of my inspirations from the past four years has been Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. She is the first person who I have ever seen in politics that I truly believe in, she is real. She inspires me to advocate for myself, be myself, and continue fighting for what I believe in. My other inspirations these past four years have been my older siblings, Lauren and Coy. They stay true to themselves always and constantly motivate me to evolve into my truest and best self. They are both deeply talented artists that express themselves and their worlds through their art in a way that not only allows you to learn about them and the story they are telling, but also pushes you to think about yourself.”
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How has social media impacted how you interact with politics?
“Social media has given me a voice that in quarantine times would have been impossible to have. I have now organized 3 major protests on Instagram that have made national news. I use Instagram to connect with activists around the world, find out where the next protest will be, and learn about things that are going on in the world around me that I may not have heard of otherwise. That all being said, Instagram gives me a lot of information, but one thing I have learned is that it is important to have multiple sources of information—it’s dangerous to get all of your news from Instagram.”
Be sure to tune into Part 2 of this series—documenting 4 other first-time voters—next week.
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