On October 20th, Millennial Action Project (MAP) Founder and CEO Steven Olikara moderated the virtual panel “Aspen Ideas: Show Up” hosted by the Aspen Institute. The panel included Jeramey Anderson, a State Representative in Mississippi and Co-Chair of MAP’s Mississippi Future Caucus; and Ashley Bell, Founder and CEO of the 2020 Bipartisan Justice Center.
The panel began with each speaker introducing themselves and the work that they are doing leading up to the election. Steven emphasized that building bridges is not easy. He explained how his background in music paved the way for his career in the political space, as he learned that when different influences come together, the results end up better. This is reflective of MAP’s work in shepherding bipartisanship through the Congressional Future Caucus and State Future Caucus Network.
Ashley Bell shared that the reason he became a public defender was because many of his friends from high school were incarcerated. Bell noted that he believes the criminal justice system in the United States is failing, and he recognizes the hardships families of incarcerated people endure. Bell also discussed an event which brought together Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Donald Trump at the same Historically Black College. Fittingly, the event aimed to help people become comfortable with being around people they don’t agree with.
Bell asked, “What’s more important, the politics or the purpose?”
Representative Jeramey Anderson discussed the process of changing the Mississippi state flag so that the confederate emblem would be removed from its design. Rep. Anderson noted that it took 20 years for this change to become a reality. He gave a shoutout to all of the young activists in Jackson, Mississippi who made all the difference in successfully changing the flag.
Additionally, Rep. Anderson contended that MAP helped as a vehicle to push more Millennials into office in Mississippi, noting that there were eight original members of the Future Caucus, and it has since grown to 21. As a Democrat in the Mississippi House, Anderson pointed out that it is imperative to make connections with his colleagues across the aisle.
The panel discussion concluded with questions from the virtual audience. The panelists emphasized that bipartisanship is crucial in achieving a better future for young people of color in the United States.