On May 22, MAP’s President and Founder Steven Olikara spoke to a group of college students from all across the country on criminal justice reform hosted by the Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship.
Olikara started off by inspiring the students on the progress he saw being made by the Texas Future Caucus Co-chairs on the overwhelming bipartisan support on the decriminalization of marijuana and the efforts made by the Tennessee Future Caucus Co-Chair to reinstate voting rights for ex felons. To add to these monumental steps for criminal justice reform, Steven also said that expunging records and offering technical and vocational training would increase chances of an ex felon of obtaining a job after prison.
Additionally, Olikara had the opportunity to answer a few questions that the students had and shared his own journey after graduating college and how the idea of the Millennial Action Project came to life shortly after.
“When I graduated college, I knew I wanted to serve this cause of transcending the political divide in our country. How do we bring to life what Barack Obama said in 2004, which is, "There is not a liberal America or a conservative America, only a United States of America." I want to make that vision come true.”
The event concluded with a reception that evening at the Willard hotel in DC to celebrate the Burbon Barrel of Compromise Reception, a tribute to Henry Clay himself.