a 16-year-old rising high school senior, a jumper, guitarist, and a music producer from birmingham. he is also a participant in the legacy use leadership your civil rights institute. of stark.cofounder state medalist for the birmingham polk school -- homeschool. and a participant in the after freedom event here at the birmingham civil rights institute on june 27. inwill be eligible to vote

2016 presidential election. said, i wouldg like to hear from these four young people. we are going to toss out our first question of the evening. i will start in the order that we introduced. jared, will you respond to the , do you think the youth today are concerned with the issues, or do they see it as old people's thoughts? jared: it is a good mix of both. i have seen that it is a bit of both because a lot of them see that some issues need to be taking a stand on.

and there are some in that generation that do not take politics or voting as seriously as they should because they do not think it will affect us, in the actual unit of rungs and could in the long . micah: i think it is a mix of the two. findissues people important and others they don't. it is the answers based on the persons education or surrounding it. their surroundings may not push voting is an important issue. think a lot of people do not understand, and may think that their voices do not matter and

won't vote will not affect what is going on. as people are taught that their votes matter, they will start voting. jordan: they see the issues as something that will affect them. politically, economically, as they graduate. >> it is a mixed thing when you talk about people really care about political issues. that some reasons

young people really do not share political issues is because you cannot have that many people really talking about political issues and talking about how the youth need to get out and vote, and how they need to make a different. how much of a difference it would make if the young people voted. mr. mcnealy: looking at those it reminds me of when martin luther king was talking about voting and said that in the south -- and i'm paraphrasing -- african-americans cannot vote. in the north, african-americans have nothing with which to vote for. and enhances this question. what do you think would spur to young people to vote?

what issues do you think politicians are not addressing that might bring a groundswell or a grassroots movement of young people to the polls? i will leave that for anyone of you. jordan: a few of the issues that would bring more people to the definitely reform of the education system as far as student loans are concerned. of money that students and their parents have to put out for an education in the united states. was -- if there was talk about that war in congress and among our representatives as far as what changes can be made, what policies we can put to a

vote to try to light in that letter for students. not only student loans, but the lgbtq community is very prevalent now among students who have lived these lifestyles and understand each other, but are not understood by the societies they live in. jared: i think if politicians could make it more relatable about these topics, if you could make that topical to the use and make them more encouraged to vote and push for the application of certain issues in , that the youth are involved in, you might be

able to reach out to them and they would feel more intrigued about this is something i can have an impact on if i'm encouraged to vote by this competition that politician -- by this politician. mr. mcnealy: recently, and you all helped me, when the candidates started lining up to announce their intentions for the 2016 race, we had a hip-hop artist -- [laughter] you have to help me. from what i understand, he had a constitutional impediment to his campaign. he was not only off.

-- old enough. but in the same idea, not every office is the office of senator or president, and you do not have to be 35. what do you think would toourage more young people step up and be political candidates? jordan: i think the knowledge of community positions. as far as the local level of voting. voting for state representatives, and a lot of time, and i have heard from others as well. they see the candidates who have the signs in the neighborhoods, and they expect to vote for one of those. done votingy are for those, they have a list of other positions of people

running, and am no information on who they are and what it does. i think if they knew there were other positions than just the other -- governor or the representative, but methinks within the communities that they can run for, and not just run for those positions, but those positions can lead to higher positions, can lead to more experience and credit toward whatever campaign the lead in the future, that they want to pursue further higher into the government. decarri: it is a lot to do with the knowledge of these positions. friends support me if i decide to go to work for

my city, or what will my family think about it. changes will you need to make. what we try to do to succeed in that position. that concerns society today, about these things. and how you would be able to handle it. you may not have as much experience doing it, and do not want to leave people in the wrong direction. the idea of inclination in terms of politics, i look at the resumes that we have here about you all. and everything here says to me leader. but jarrett just mentioned an important thing, support. about the idea of

student loans. we talk about the idea of the lgbt community. what other things do you think could be used to crop altogether support for a young candidate, and also a grassroots support for that candidate? jordan: the black lives matter movement. withtly, the issue we have phrases of in this country has not been solved over the years. it has been swept under the rug, but it is not being addressed on the local level, how people perceive the issues. i think a lot of people feel that being an african-american running for office, you are at

an automatic disadvantage. and that can keep a lot of people went from hitting involved in politics, or being involved in the limelight of the celebrity that comes with people recognizing you. people seeing you out on the voting trail and trying to make a difference in your community. i feel like it is harder when african-americans to feel like they are going to be discriminated against, or they will not get a fair chance of getting to these positions where they can go and get to a representative position or a mayorship. the issue of black lives matter, as far as people wanting to make a difference, wanting to change the ideas of racism, or how like people are perceived in this country, would definitely be one --those grassroots it's

movements that would spur more african-americans to vote, to be more involved in politics, to want to run for government positions as well. mr. mcnealy: two of you are currently high school students. to live you are currently college students and one of the things that is going to be an isue and the 2016 campaign and the of common core development of curriculum in the united states of america. ask students, currently, do you feel -- when we talk about student loans, and being able to go to school, 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, or the academic stance of this country is something that would interest you or potential voters? i would like to think so, because a lot of us have families and children and we want to see them get education. you can be good at something in one direction. the education level that was back in the 90's is by -- different from that it is now. what you may think is the right way may not be the best way of future. in the you see a lot of kids now using computers. academically,, gore is going to be something that may just be spurred on by the different communities and s, and bring the

future into day. it is something you just have to deal around. some people do not like change. 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 was young and did not realize how the impact would carry on to my day. just being informed about what gogoing on, and be able to in and vote because some people think it will not have any impact here, because there is nothing going on inside the community. they 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. it can have an impact. micah: i can agree that a reason for lack of anticipation is a lack of education. 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 should adamant for it more 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 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. i was talking to a coworker yesterday, and he was talking about the idea that barack obama could just come 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 lose 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. get people to be likeested in something 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 governor? jordan: i would say televise and more. as far as the presidency goes, the presidential election gives round.tion year the country is always good to talk about the president because he's the leader of our country. that is as it should be. need toame time, we 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 a glamorous 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 rig. 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 the presidential race for 2016. the housees time for 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. too much real knowledge of what they are base beingd it is not

presented to the public as much. much of the reason why, you do not know who to vote for on the lower levels and state levels and local levels. mr. mcnealy: this is a step on somebody's toes question. fair warning. aboutwe're talking getting young people involved and local and state elections, mentalfeel that you and -- we as adults are a good example to model the civic process, or are we showing what we want young people to do? we want youngwhat

people to do, and not really doing it? 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. theyy not be the fact that know about voting but do not push the issue onto the children 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. encourage,del and 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. i am willing to backtrack a little bit on what i , you do have family members and community who are very intense about knowing who your candidates are in knowing who is running right in justngham, being around 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 mare, or who is running for mayor next. they are goingat

for, how they feel about them. i feel like the parents, for the most art, there is an element where they are talking about it themselves, that is the idea of the second floor light. as far as the youth listening to that, as far as those conversations 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. solve aare going to 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 would we very good for educational purposes. education --letter voter education. informationawesome in the gallery right now. overexhibition talks about the voting rights act the kids of the birmingham area, and one is the ideahey had of researching candidates than finding out who they were voting on them accordingly.

today, we were talking about mvc patent. we were working on an education in this date, in the 1940's. research and candidates, what sort of qualifications would you be looking for if he were 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 , and let's say

something is a serious clash. ago, and isweeks 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. there, it is all about answering questions as best as possible. things, doing positive and helping other people. i would say --

thean: i would research causes face of lord. data they support. are they destroy massive resources? thatrent organizations they are supporting, that they are promoting. if that lines up with him. 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.

, do you support them no matter what? just 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. for me it would have to be consistency. had switched up their

i am not going to have trust in them. that is one thing i would look for. you call to mind the idea of gravitas. the president has been onticized for going between-based shows, things that do not seem to

be presidential do you think that you choose the applicants president. decarri: i really think it is where you can relate and benefit 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? makes him aee it bit more relatable. but i also think there can we a line that should be held. social media, and being on those shows, can make it relatable to a younger audience, but if he does it in the right way. 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 used as an attack against you and your campaign. while you are looking at it through that perspective, you have to stop and think what would be most unofficial to me,

and what would impact that? 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 idea things arelittle everywhere. we rarely have a private moment nowadays. it is think that

something that would cause people to shy away from running for office and to submitting themselves to that sort of intense scrutiny? jordan: i would think so. if you have ever seen barack obama on different talkshows or 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 --ermine a

mouthnealy: 21 point one -- putting your foot in your half of the country is take her, and the other half is makers. everything you say can be taken and used. it is a double-edged sword. , thent the publicity 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. that as younging idealists,ook at

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 ?evel of our discussion >> yes and no. [laughter] jordan: i would say yes and no

-- how canue because i explain it? can you save the question again? people,aly: as young you are voting for your very first times. way thatsee the campaigns can go extremely , and they also balance themselves against the room. as important as the democracy is against the people, but this that disappoint you or dropping .rom a physical progress i 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 --y say what of those things a line of what they said is and iout of context, would be worried 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 able to explain it. you hear them saying we should have that sort of debate, but --orded as four visit can be as confusing because they are still trying to figure out what you want in a candidate. supports -- you

want to separate yourself because it is so hard to tell .hat is one mr. mcnealy: somebody switching beings, weas human hopefully encounter new information and new stimuli and things about the process. but jericho back to that double-edged sword, for example support homosexual marriage. they got ahead of him and said i

support that. famously, but then you have other people that would take his --usion and music flip-flopping. the girls don't hear built all these old. my question is, where is the intelligent altering of and where do we draw the line to say that this is a person who might say anything, but --

it is a thing over time. changes and the letter over time, you get sadness and sorrow. you're just trying to do whatever you think is possibly .ent or six it is more of a thing that you have. then, is all evolving, as you said. mr. mcnealy: people can do things from the world the

moment, but the ideas that have had mentioned it to happen for your important. earlier, we had an impromptu history lesson that you all did high school and you don't want to 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. people,y encouraging of we have to remember one of the reasons things do not get done in terms of your people is in cannot vote.

usually, the politicians who vote for, deal with their particular issue, will until the 20 amendment. is 18. new age as we begin to look at the back alcohol, what issues already we discussed common and curriculum. we discussed lgbt communities. for access toion the idea of going to the break.

if the question is to give long , this person was flip-flopping. this person and social media works all the time. we researched that, and we talked with them and found was lonely thing would you be able to latch onto. to make your decisions between --didate a, and editor be and candidate being. the one thing, a lot of times we

do not do such a good job on. off -- brainkes takes off. bigger problem is when people respond to questions without thinking. this is a good example that we .ave good analysts [indiscernible] micah: you are asking us what would make us choose between canada and candidate be? yes.cnealy:

two candidates. they are pretty similar in terms of their experience, i am staying away from party. let's not even deal with party. say they are the same party. what would push you to pick candidate a over candidate being to be the person who will get the nomination and run for that office? their i would say besides being in line with mine, their actions lining up with mine. that was the difference between .he two

mr. mcnealy: what about one person over the other? what they were trying to tell you? a no homework candidate? but wheng facetious, we look at our elections, we are given everything, and in all 50 states and everyone is always the education governor.

we have an education governor every four years. and we're sitting at number 49. [laughter] what would you suggest to get , throwing out a cliché like education, and say something to you that speaks to you as a voter? jordan: i would say their stance on racial equality, economically. how they stand and present themselves, where they stand on the issue. that would probably be that one deciding factor there.

but honestly i do not think there would be just one deciding factor there. at two candidates, especially if they are the same, and after their campaigns are for the most part he really good, and there's only one that has one thing that i like him i would still be hesitant to go check candidate because i know when they do get the presidency, is not a guarantee they will be able to go through that plan. there's no guarantee that will be one of the things that they can for sure get passed. one thing that they can commit their campaign or their office to doing. whether they are running on that concept van when they get to office ac adapter focus more on other issues, that is where my mind goes.

i am always thinking two steps down the line. are they going to be able to stick to that? with the governorship and the presidency, you can never be too certain if they are going to be able to focus in on those specific issues that you voted for them far. they may have focusing more on taxes, or on education. there is no guarantee they will be able to focus directly in on racial tensions as far as economics go. being treatedis fairly, paid equally, and not just racially the gender equality as well. so i guess racial equality would be that one thing. but honestly i cannot just say it will be one solid thing to make me choose. mr. mcnealy: ok.

taking gender and racial equality, we can walk into our next question. our next question deals with the of the voting rights act. 50 years since this has been signed, and there are a lot of questions. sayll stick with this and in terms of the voting rights act, and in terms of racially -- racial equality, how did you as a young person feel you have been impacted by the voting rights act? back in 2012, it puts an even level, because i am not

depending on one group of people to make the decision in our country, i can have a say so as well. and we have a say so together . i felt a sense of pride in my country that this was something i had a right to do, and i just did it for my first time. about myselfgood and realize what we have prompted to get to this point to do something like that. micah: with the voting rights act, besides the obvious getting the right to vote, there are positive things. i do understand the value of my vote, and i think will or it would -- thankful for it. but in terms of how it impacts just not myself, but since it

became so accessible for so many different people, people diminished the value of voting from it. you have the right to vote, but not everyone is utilizing it. it's kind of is a downturn of it i guess. mr. mcnealy: that is interesting. i'm going to redirect a little bit. you seem to think that if people right to vote was threatened, they might take it more seriously? do you seem to think that? think they need to understand how important it is again, because people did not have the right, they understood how important it was to gain it. now that we haven't we had -- that we need to get back

-- teacher people younger people. mr. mcnealy: mallard like to give it to thed people, to the many. i would like to introduce you all to kendall. choose the lady with the microphone. she's also the lady that has worked tirelessly to arrange everything that you're looking at this afternoon. [applause] we are all talking heads. questions, concerns, comments?

kendall will come to you. >> good evening. i voted my first election in 1978 and i walked to the false a 1977.ter gerald ford and just been elected in 1976 right what challenges do you have his young people now as far as getting to the polls and playing a vital and yourhis process hdl -- at your age now? jordan: i do not think there is too much of anything getting us just keeping us from the holes now.

birmingham are look on the driscoll is used as a voting facility. local churches, community centers, you have a lot of places located throughout the community that you go through to pleasure vote. mostare designed for the part to be accessible to everyone. for me, from where i live, it would be a three or four block walk to the elementary to be able to vote. much really not so anything restraining me physically, just being willing to get up and actually go to them. whether or not we feel like we should, or we want to vote. most amazing, what do you what is calling

you all to be so active? jared: we realize what is at stake high voting in these elections. these will affect my generation. if we do not realize what is going to happen while running , we willay be too late try to vote for a certain change or a certain issue. we may now have to open up the issue again. i cannot tell you what the problems will be down the road or what they may be. if we were to encourage people to our friends to all vote that may become a bigger problem and we all see that it is a problem and we consulted -- can solve it.

mr. mcnealy: >> you can volunteer for different campaigns. is there anything you would do in the near future to put you in ? campaign office we have elections on the local level coming up soon. >> community service? panelist: we have talked a lot it.t um. -- i thinki think

said i am a student journalist for alabama public onevision and what i worked was the voting rights act. we went around to selma and different places to interview different people to raise where it on voting, has been in the past, and where we should be in the future. little things like that raise awareness. yeah. i will be honest. i have not done as much as i should have.

this is a way for me to help more people my age learn about voting rights and that it is important for our government and our young -- it is important for our government that our young people vote. construction of the country does not work that way. you have people left out and not being heard. to answer your question, i have more to do. --elist: i have to interject >> i have to interject. i was trying not to. andd to find the students stop them from their activities and their actions and planning for their futures and the community.

panel the youngest on the did not know me whatsoever and came up to me and said, "i want to be a part of this." i may not be able to put it into words. these are hands on youth. they are doing a lot of the work. panelist next question. >> i want to commend the panel. you are very intelligent. i have said -- [applause] you are entertaining and interesting. my husband is entertaining and interesting, too. [applause] in your future, you will do some great things. ,hinking about your future

thinking about your future full orward, do you see yourself getting the involved in politics. if so, what office would you be interested in? >> politically inclined! >> i am strange on the issue. i love history and cannot stand politics. um, it is kind of funny. most of the things i worry about our politics. are politics. running for myself any position or try to promote myself for any position. um, workingas, towards, like i was talking about earlier, racial equality,

gender equality, helping people understand the facts of life on the issues so that they can understand the other side where other people are coming from. from withre coming saying that we are tired of by policeed down officers and looked over by jobs, those are social and cultural issues that will not be solved unless they are presented in a political stance. myself,st kind of see at this moment, trying to help educate and show people what the issues are and why it is a problem for so many people. i want to try to create something to make a difference. office, ia political

do not know. myself goingor see --o a politically-based going into politics. awould definitely like to see change. i would love to be able to do something with that. if the opportunity came for me to make a profound impact on the state, coming out of high i found myself majoring in public health. jordan.d of agree with i like to educate and talk about police brutality and those sorts of things. i want to be a scientist and a

wildlife researcher. they are kind of on the opposite end. i want to have discussions and spread the word. well, i really don't see myself in politics. maybe later on in life. , for me, is to get to a platform where i can help educate other people and help other people in different ways. that is my main goal. myself int really see politics. -- as a politician. well, i just wanted to say, "thank you all" for this. ofneed more of this type situation in order to educate young people.

i think the issue is like charity. it starts at home and spreads abroad. we talk about educating the youth in the schools. what about at home? i feel like this is where it begins and i think it should start at an early age. i have dragged this child all over to give him a awareness about the voting process and to teach them about how important it is to be a part of the process. we have had people who have died for us to have this process and everyone should exercise their rights. note are people who are getting it at home. when you do, it is an habit-forming. they will see you do the same thing.

i really appreciated this and really enjoyed it. all of the panelists who do not think they will be politicians, i hope that we have a lot of future politicians out of this room. not just the panelists. the other youth in the room. we are looking for future leaders and i know that we have some in this room. thank you all. questioner: my name is carlos. i want to thank the panel. you guys are phenomenal. i am glad to see such great young people discussing the issues. i work for a national network and we pretty much go out and get young people to vote and talk to them about getting interested in voting. young people are the future of the country. we have to get out and educate each other.

about meeting people where they are. we talk about voter registration expect thingsjust to be taught in schools. schools teach what they want to teach. -- likeuse in real life trigonometry -- we don't see it. voting is something that we have to teach each other how to do. right now, i'm a candidate running for office, at 21 years old, running for my first public office. as young people, we have to encourage others to go out. i have worked on political campaigns at a national level. what i have learned from the people arethat young

not interested because we do not make them. [applause] >> i think trig is interesting. >> i think trigonometry is interesting! questioner: i have a question. it is on police brutality and the stuff going on. activists.a they post and do not get involved. it is like people bandwagon for a favorite team. what do you think about? >> i agree. it is a lot of laziness. you see the people posting on social media putting hashtag

this and that. on thee not helping issue. that is the biggest problem. it is one thing to talk about that on the computer or the phone. it is another to be in the community. you are putting up a front on social media to get a retweet or a favorite. that is ok. if you are getting attention the -- if you're not getting attention the right way, you are not pushing the cause forward at all. it hurts when you use the tragedy for your own personal gain. >> actually -- >> you can go ahead. >> it is a thing that a lot of people have shorter attention spans. they pay attention for a few minutes and then they go on to something else.

they forget about what is going on and do not continue on. that is one of the problems with what is going on and how some people post things to get likes. personally, i am a person who sees people on facebook constantly and i am constantly reblogging and making a statement about it. i do have a moment where i am like, "here we go again." i don't even feel like commenting -- post. moments where i have to speak up and say something. whether or not i am able to do a publicly, when i first came back to the institute this year, i was talking to a bunch of the workers here in the legacy class about actually doing something

with the injustice and the police brutality to get some knowledge and education going -- where people are trying to fight for their lives and writes. . it is hard to do that in birmingham. birmingham lost a large element of former racism. now.ngham is a calm place we have a majority-black police squad. i don't know if we have a majority-black department. the chief of police is a black man. we are not going to tolerate racism in infrastructure in the city. there is still elements of racism in birmingham. it is not as prevalent.

birmingham is a place where the police officers are g -- is not a place where police officers people down on the sidewalk or dragging kids from ape will party. i am -- a pool party. i'm not saying it couldn't happen here. he is saying it has. i have not seen any reports. i behavior, for me, as someone who wants to promote awareness on the issue, on what we, aslity, of african-americans, especially as youth, can be doing to notify people to gain ground and explain what is happening to teach each other how to handle , there is anger

that is misplaced. are like, "why do i have to worry about that?" towns over or to another county, this could happen to you. go to another state, this could happen to you. it is scary and it is hard to get that across to people because it is not right in front of them. because it is not, it is hard to make people to want to take action on it. for me, personally, seeing the reports, hearing of friends who have been discriminated against, personally experiencing ofcrimination, and, on top that, seeing things on facebook and twitter that have happened

and are still happening, it is sad. it is really, really sad. it doesn't make people cooperate with the movement. it is hard to get people to recognize it when their place is peaceful and they are not thinking about what is happening to the neighbor to states over. -- two states over. >> i see it as a negative and a positive. it makes people lazy. i see it as a positive. this is not something new. it is happening all the time. it has happened before. you have a cell phone and a camera and you can videotape within a matter of seconds. in another matter of seconds,

you can post it to a website and we all know what is going on. you areial media, keeping it in people's face. there are lots of people who do not want to hear it. with constant posting, they see it 24/7. people can go and share their stories. go quickly.s and you can go on instagram or twitt and say you are having a protest and get tons of attention. i think it is a plus and a negative. like everything. clerk for: i am a is judge in family court who running for the domestic court

in 2016. i am the mother of young men. is 24, who passed. another is 21. i want to applaud you young people. i am excited about how motivated you are. home, he iscomes jaded. i am like your mother, i have drug him to every polling booth. i have to make him vote. he is so jaded. i do not know if it is the people he associates with at stanford -- and i will ask you something -- he is doing internship at city hall

that i had to make him. this is a blessing that anybody would want. refused.first, he my husband, obviously, had to go and talk with him and things were a little bit different. he is jaded. i don't think it has helped seeing what they do at the council meetings. i have to ask people why, your generation, the on vote -- the we need youe need, to be a part of it and make it all happen. why do you feel jaded when it comes to politics? why do you feel that every politician lies? i know you have some reasons. why? why? i am asking the panel. you guys are a breath of fresh air.

i thought we had lost it, listening to my kids. why do you think that your generation is so jaded when it comes to the political arena? think our generation -- there are multiple fronts. we live in a generation where society is more diverse. everybody sees social issues differently. like you said, your son went to stanford. she goes to stanford now. i was at the university of west alabama for a while. before that, i was at the university of alabama in birmingham.

uab is one of the most diverse campuses i have ever been on and you have to allow for different positions on how people think. you may think, "yeah, you have a point on this." those, a lot of us get burned out on it. we do not want to deal with it or look at the issue, because it is like, at the end of the day, withthe vote really counts the electoral college and the representatives who get to choose, regardless of what to we say. it makes you feel like we do not have a voice and you get burned out on it will stop you look at the positions of the candidates, what they want to do, and we see -- what we want to see accomplished. candidate ist the going about accomplishing it at

all, they say they want to fix the issue. are they going about it the right way? if we say no, the other candidates, if we are completely you are in a mindset of voting for the lesser of two evils. that really does the term people from wanting to vote. people fromr wanting to vote. survival for this guy, he will segregate the united states. if i vote for this guy, they will lower student loans. where does the money come from? how do they fund the project? is, we see it.an willhere down the line,

have people doing this, that, and the other. there are no jobs for these people to go to. it will not matter. they still cannot afford it and the interest rates will keep going up. you kind of feel burned out, like, "is there really a point to this?" it is an aspect of why we get jaded. we get so fed up and tired that we do not want to deal with it anymore. [indiscernible] >> i think that we think a lot alike. [indiscernible] >> yes and no. because, especially when we get to college, we are freethinkers and we want to go out on our own. one of the main things is

thinking for ourselves. when our parents tell us things, we do not usually like to listen. a lot of times, we have to experience things on our own. we do not want to hear you. parents should talk to their children about this, get them like,up to want to vote, "look, this is the situation you are worried about and there are other issues on the table." is saying --date like i was saying, this is why just one thing could not make up my mind. if this candidate is pushing for your interests d are you going to

vote for them? or, are you going to go with the other candidate who does not care about those issues and is focused on subbing completely different? point, the main especially for parents, is to show them, even the you have ,ositions where you are likee this candidate is not going to do anything for me, they should still vote because there are opportunities for the candidates take on projects later and there are no things that guarantee the things the candidate stated are the things that he will be able to be acting upon. that she will be able to act upon. -- things that they will be able to act upon. there are things they worry about other than that one thing and you should voice your opinion.

they were saying was that the vote should be part of a task. i think about being a student at uab. a candidate may go for option a a candidate may go for option d. you have to prioritize the vote. your vote matters. think the may not vote does not matter, that could be a vote swing. your vote matters. generation need to realize that you can have an impact. income.is a small it is a small increase. the amount of people lifted, 40,000 young people my age just

voted and you can keep going from there. >> and then, not just the parents. the candidates on the local level, when we get a president who has a stance on certain issues, our local leaders are going to inform us on how the system works and how it operates. system oracking the are they against it? it comes down to knowing your local officials and your local leaders. they ultimately are placing a when thehe bill president says he wants to do something about student loans. if we do not vote on a local level, we do not know. bill., i got your

i don't feel like reading it." official, do you go back and report to the people the position on it and discuss with the community what their ideas are on its? -- on it? what do you think we should do in the situation? being able to see on a local level where they stand on because, the whole point is to get them more involved at the local level. see aboutays going to the presidential candidacy, but are the local levels acting that? are the local level officials supporting our causes we are asking them to some work? are they completely against it? i think that is definitely where the youth vote is lacking.

>> speaking of votes -- and by , i was kind of jarred by the idea that you all are not at this point interested in politics, but that takes me to a whotion we ask everyone walked in this evening. and the question we asked was -- what do you see to be the biggest problem in politics? and we thought it was interesting to conduct a little election of our own this evening. you walked in, you wrote it down, you kept your ballot. and i have here the results of that election, and what i would like to do, and what we don't always do in congress is people make a vote, but they do not

always stand up for their vote. what i would like you to do, when i call out the issue you voted for, raise your hand so we can get an idea of these things. being involved in politics. youth voter education. >> [indiscernible] >> [laughter] now this is an interesting one. political parties. >> i did not vote, but i will agree with that. outset, we were warned against political parties. george washington said people would become more interested in -- partyng country than country, in faction than progress. that smart. please go ahead.

respective politicians. -- respect of politicians. ok. last, but certainly not least, race and class issues and k of support. i will say that one, too. there are many, many different things we have encountered this evening, and we have heard this evening. one of the things we talked about his education. and at the rear of the room, we have a former founding board member, and that is my mentor, my coach, peggy sparks. and she has been in this community for -- [applause] trying to enhance the educational content we have here in arming him -- birmingham

throughout the state. one of the things she works on is called the national issues rum, and if your school is not familiar with it and does not purchase a paid in it, it is something that is really a powerful tool to bring people to the idea of the liberation, and the liberation is one of the things we have to do before we decide what the issues are and who the leaders are to handle them. she works tirelessly with that. it's still something that exists today. i encourage everybody to try to find their way to the national and if you would like to give a brief statement -- >> [indiscernible]

because she would say she was informed about the issues she was able to inform her family, her friends, her church members, and she got 18 votes that she knew she was responsible for. so, thank you for the opportunity. >> thank you all for coming out. this concludes the program this evening. oh, make sure that you fill out one of the evaluation forms. that is how we know what we need to work on. that is how we -- that is how we nextwhen to plan the program. thank you very much. >> before you guys leave, we want to put this out there. our next voting rights discussion will be july 16 where we discuss this during your right to vote as an at the fender and the final one will be der,st 6, -- as an ex-offen

will be onl one august 6 with shelby versus holder. very important. please fill out your evaluations and thank you all so much. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] also, if you are not registered to vote, the brothers will be at the back registering those who are not registered to vote. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] >> 2 more house democrats have announced they will vote in favor of the iran nuclear agreement when congress comes back into session after labor day. in a statement, new york democrat gregory meeks said the is in thement

security interest of the united states, israel, and the global community. is said it is the best option we have -- nydia velasquez says it is the best option we have. tour choresities tour is, and the cities on c-span each day at 6:00 p.m. eastern. today we will travel to topeka, kansas. we will hear about the violent 1850'stations of the over whether kansas would be a free state or slave state. we will have a conversation with governor sam brownback. the to be cut, kansas cities eastern.ix :00 p.m. and tonight, a discussion on shale oil production.

we will hear from mark mills, a senior fellow at the manhattan institute. here is a preview. unwittingly, when the silicon valley investors started pouring begins into finding alternatives to hydrocarbon, the people who have changed the game are the guys that silicon valley the information exchange which will on leak -- unlock even more energy in the future. first, we will get underlying improvements to the existing technologies, at least equal to that that has already occurred. the operational capabilities, the pumps, the seismic mapping. all of that stuff. is an aggregate equivalent of 400%, 500%. secondly what will happen, we will air in new spots of advanced automation. are 10% of our refineries

totally automated. we will add robotics and drones. --t will air into the system that will lay her into the system. and we will optimize for big data. in effect, we will hooverize the shale industry. can see that conversation at 8:00 p.m. eastern and at 9:00, president obama speaks on global warming. he is addressing a conference in anchorage, alaska, discussing how climate change is read shaping the arctic and what can be done about it. that is live, coming up tonight at 9:00 eastern here on c-span. senator marco rubio on friday called for a tougher military stance against china and says if elected president, he would seek the release of political his nurse in china. the florida republican's comments came at a speech in

south carolina. [applause] >> good morning. of thesident and ceo charleston chamber. it is a pleasure to see you here this morning. we want to welcome all of you. your funding commitment is positioning the private sector as charleston's leader. one of the benefits of your members circle leadership is access to our region, states, top political leaders. tomade a commitment to you attract as many presidential candidates is possible to meet with you. your leadership circle group has already met with donald trump, ohio governor john kasich, and

this morning, we are truly privileged to be introducing marco rubio to you. he is the junior senator from florida serving since 2011. he was the speaker of the house for the florida legislature and 2008. from 2000 until he sits on the following committees. the committee on commerce, science, transportation, the select committee on intelligence and the committee on small business leadership. please join me in welcoming him. [applause] mr. rubio: thank you. thank you. i went to discuss china's rising global affairs and what i will do as resident to make sure it americanundermine

efforts. is there any doubts about the importance of this topic to the, the financial reports of the last weekend but them to rest. thank you. due to a large crash in stock market on monday, our markets suffered. the worst day in four years. insecurity and anxiety already high about the future climbed even higher. it is a jarring illustration of how our economy has changed. how our economy has changed over the last few years. in the 21st century, what happens across the world can impact american families as much as what happens across town. the affairs of foreign nations are increasingly our business, whether we like it or not. and this is especially true with regards to china. in this new century, china presents opportunities and challenges to our people. trade with the growing middle class has opened our businesses to hundreds of millions of new

customers. south carolina can especially a test for this. in 2013, china consumed $4.2 billion of goods and services produced in the state. that is more than any other country. that supports thousands of south carolina jobs. because of good policies from your governor and legislature, textile jobs was taken by china are now returning. as he found out this week, the negative effects of china's economic meddling are severe. the chinese government's efforts to devalue its currency and bring global trade are a threat to economic interest. china is going to our national security. earlier this year, it was behind the largest cyber attack ever carried out against the united states. its current ruler, xi jinping, is trying to convince his 1.3 billion people that the way to

reestablish chinese greatness is to undermine the united states and enhance china's influence at our expense. to this end, he is asserting control over the east and south china seas through which more than half of global commerce passes each day. this is beijing's way of gaining leverage over the world. it has unilaterally declared and -- and air defense dedication zone in the sink hot enkaku islands s in international water which of the territory of our ally japan. in the south china sea, beijing has dispatched ships, planes, moved oil rigs and be constructed artificial island in an attempt to strengthen its position militarily. under xi jinping's rule, they have intensified their campaign to push america out of asia, denouncing our long-standing alliances with other democracies like japan and the philippines. developing weapons that threaten our bases and our naval assets and declaring that asian affairs should be left "to the people of asia."

china aims to make it so costly and difficult for america to get involved in the region so that we will not even bother. in short, what china is doing is everything it can to make the 21st century a chinese century. if you want to know what the chinese century would look like for the world, then look no further than what it means now. how the government treats its own people. it just the last year, it has rounded up human rights advocates and thrown them into prison. it has torn down churches and oppressed christians and forced parents to get abortions. it detained political dissidents without trial or legal recourse. it undermined the economy of hong kong and tightened controls on the internet. this is a disgrace. we should stand against it. america holds nothing but good will towards the people of

china. i believe the moment they finally attain true freedom, that moment will fundamentally alter the course of human history and the benefit of the economic and strategic interests of the united states and the world. freedom for the people of china must be our goal, but sadly, it has not been the goal of our current president. he has only appeased their oppressive leaders in the face of human rights abuses. he failed to respond adequately to the unprecedented breaches of our corporate and governmental computer networks and he has given our allies reason to doubt our commitment to their security. the fact that china is drawing more assertive by the day suggests that its leaders, that its rulers should the same doubts about america's resolve. president obama has hoped that by the more open to china, we would make them a more responsible nation, but it has not worked. we can no longer succumb to the

illusion that more dialogue alone with china and its current rulers will narrow the gaps and valleys in interest that separate us. that is why while i do not believe we should cancel xi jinping's visit to washington next month, i also do not believe we should be rolling out the red carpet or him. -- or him. this is an opportunity to speak bluntly to this authoritarian ruler, not to treat him to state dinner. --up to the next president it is up to the next president to correct the errors of the current this is one of the one. reasons that hillary clinton will not become president. while her tenure as secretary of state was a disaster we are sure that she will run on it in the regular, general election. we have to put forward a nominee with the experience and record of judgment necessary to take

her to task. our party's nominee must understand the global challenges we face in the 21st century if i am our party's nominee, and clinton will not be able to lecture me on foreign affairs, from libya, from syria, to ukraine, and china. i have called for the appropriate course of action, even before they have been made popular. asia has been a particular interest for me. in the last congress, i was the senate republican responsible for overseeing u.s. policy towards asia and last year had the privilege of visiting multiple allies in east asia to highlight the importance of our partnership. the republican nominee must have a plan to correct u.s.-china relations. that is why i thank you for this opportunity to offer it before you. as president, my approach

towards china will adhere to the principles of my foreign policy which i outlined at the beginning of this campaign. my goal will be to restore national security and the region interest. to protect our economic well-being and advanced because of freedom and human rights around the world. the first goal will be restoring american strength, to ensure that the united states remains a pacific power. while china has increased his defense spending by another 10% this year, the obama administration has cut defense spending by nearly $1 trillion over a decade. our navy is now smaller than any time since before world war i. our army is headed pre-world war ii levels. and our air force has the smallest and oldest combat force in its entire history. if elected, i will end defense sequestration and restore the

pentagon's budget to appropriate levels. doing so will allow us to ensure that our carrier feet is sufficient to support forward deployment of a second carrier fleet to the pacific. we will build virginia class submarines at a rate of two per year. we will create long-range precision strike systems, protect our satellite in space capabilities from attack, and defense missile systems to where our women and men are employed drop the region. stronger military strength in asia will also require strengthening our alliances. our treaty allies and partners depend upon the weight of their friendship with america to keep china off of their doorstep. when i am president, instead of inviting china to military exercises, we will conduct them. we will conduct joint controls

-- freedom of navigation patrols with our partners to challenge any attempt to close off international waters or airspace. we will seek enhanced access across the region and deploy additional air and naval assets contested areas. we will confront chinese propaganda in asia by highlighting u.s. resolve. if china continues to use military force to advance illegitimate claims, we will not hesitate to take appropriate action. we will also promote collaboration between our allies and partners. america cannot bear the full burden of balancing china's power. enhancing coordination between japan, korea, the philippines,

taiwan, singapore, vietnam, and mongolia among others, this serves our interest. promoting democracy around china is an important way to promote democracy within china. taiwan, for instance, provides a powerful model for how traditional chinese culture can indeed coexist with democracy. my second goal is in relation to china is of particular relevance this week. that is protecting the american economy. until recently china has experienced impressive economic growth, by copying parts of the capitalist model. at the same time, it has damaged other economies, including our own, by bending and breaking the rules of economic trade to achieve its own ends. it has subsidized exports, devalued and manipulated its currency. it has restricted imports and stolen technology on a massive and unprecedented scale. as president i will respond to

chinese economic misconduct. not through aggressive retaliation which could hurt us as much as them, but by reinforcing our insistence on free markets and free trade. this means immediately moving forward with the trans-pacific partnership and other trade agreements that strengthen strategic ties with our partners in asia. we will not build exclusionary trade blocs, but nor will we allow china to reap the full benefits of american-led commerce unless it fundamentally changes its attitudes and policies. in the 21st century, economic security and national security depends on cyber security as well. no longer will china hack our government and corporate servers without ease and without consequences. i will fortify our cyber defenses. i will work with other nations to pressure china to hold its use of espionage. i will coordinate international efforts to identify and punish any chinese nationals who

violate this. we will impose sanctions and penalties on chinese companies that can be shown to have profited from pirating our software, or any other intellectual property. we must also restrict beijing's access to strategically sensitive technology. we can no longer afford to enable the growth of chinese military power in pursuit of short-term gain. our third goal in relation to china concerns not just what we do, it concerns who we are. we must stand on the side of freedom and human rights, both inside china and on its periphery. it is our moral, and also strategic imperative. the obama administration has had little to say about the absence of religious and political freedom in china, or the deteriorating human rights situation that has accompanied

xi jinping's rise. situation. governments built on repression are like houses built on sand. helping the chinese people achieve freedom and democracy is not just our moral duty, it will have a profound effect on global prosperity and on our security. when i am president, beijing will not receive a free pass on human rights. i will instruct all u.s. officials meeting with their chinese counterparts to list political prisoners by name and press for their unconditional release. i will impose visa bans and asset freezes on chinese officials who violate human rights. i will do all i can to empower chinese citizens to breach what has been called the great firewall of china, and gain access to news and information online about their country and the world.

and finally, i will understand the presidency is the most visible office in the world. and it comes with that ability, and also a responsibility to lead by example. the president can spend powerful messages through simple actions. to show his or her support for religious freedom. i will send a message to the world before i even take the oath of office. i will invite chinese dissidents and other freedom fighters from around the road to be honored guests at the inauguration. i will personally engage rights activists and other such as students in hong kong or beleaguered lawyers, dissidents on the mainland, persecuted tibetan monks and nuns, like the american people will value basic human dignity and liberty.

there will one day be leaders of the democratic china, and these are the leaders worthy of a red carpet welcome in washington, d.c. let me close by saying despite the challenges that we face in regard to china the opportunities are truly even greater. in our international economy, the ability to trade is really greater than it has ever been. the ability of students to travel abroad and learn is greater than it has ever been. the ability to innovate through cooperation and competition is greater than it has ever been. china and america are the largest economies on earth. if our people are allowed to cooperate uneconomic futures, they can change the world for the better. next wednesday presents us with an important chance to reflect on that fact. it is the 70th anniversary of the allied victory in the pacific, which effectively ended the second world war. look at what economic cooperation has brought.

millions of people in the asia-pacific region, from south korea and japan, and even many parts of china, people who just decades ago lived in poverty and despair now live in the middle class. their children have the opportunity to live an even better life. that is an extraordinary achievement, but one that would have been impossible without the stability american leadership has offered in the region since the end of the second world war. through freedom of the seas, through established international norms, and the military power to approximate a the american century shows us what had happened when freedom overtakes oppression. when democracy overtakes is totalitarianism. we cannot walk away from everything we have achieved in that regard. we must not overlook the fundamental fact about america's relationship with china, what is at stake is nothing less than

the type of world that we will leave our children and our grandchildren. in the world we leave behind, what nation will be the dominant example for the world? a country like modern china, or a country like ours? that is what is at stake in the years ahead. starting with this election, and i'm confident and i know that we will make the right choice. thank you very much. i appreciate the opportunity to speak. [applause] thank you. thanks for having me. >> president obama speaks tonight about global warming and a lasted. he is addressing a conference in anchorage that brings together scientists and policymakers to discuss how climate change is reshaping the arctic and what can be done about it. that is life here on c-span at

9:00 p.m. eastern. >> tonight on the communicators -- this summer marks the 25th anniversary of digital television. a discussion of how modern television has changed. >> many of us, and that is increasing every day, or watching in a multiscreen world, and that has been one of the word exciting outcomes of the digital revolution. it used to be there with the hdtv,nary screen and with that was the screen in the now you havebut tablets and smartphones and wi-fi all over the place. such that tv is not just a lean back experience