Be Young, Gifted, and Vote

By Tracy Chiles McGhee | Word In Black(WIB) – “I speak with you on this occasion because you are young, gifted, and Black. I for one can think of no more dynamic combination a person might be…Look at the work that awaits you!”Those inspirational words, spoken 60 years ago by acclaimed playwright Lorraine Hansberry still resonate today. The influence of Black youth expressing their brilliance and harnessing their power remains a catalyst for change, especially during the most consequential election of our lifetime. For today’s young Black voters, grouped in the Generation Z and Millennial cohorts,  civic engagement is more than a duty. They are anchored within a legacy of changemakers fighting for the freedoms that democracy professes to safeguard.Nina Simone amplified her dear friend Hansberry’s message in 1969 when she introduced the song “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black.”& This tune became an anthem of the civil rights movement and a torch for youth as they emerged into young adulthood.& We channel the spirt of Simone who once remarked, “There’s no excuse for the young people not knowing [their] heroes and heroines…”& We capture the reflections of three student activists who crystalize a vision for then, now and the...