Approximately 8 million new voters will be able to cast their ballot this year, and they are poised to play a potentially pivotal role in the election: In the swing state of Pennsylvania alone, there are 1.6 million Gen Z aged voters. But among those currently attending Howard University—the alma mater of the Democratic candidate—the act of voting in a presidential election for the first time has additional resonance.
In 1982, Kamala Harris arrived at Howard, spurred on by her interest in the law and inspired by the legacy of Thurgood Marshall, who had attended the law school decades earlier. While a student, she attended anti-apartheid protests on the National Mall and interned with Senator Alan Cranston of California. It was at Howard, she told students in a commencement address in 2017, that she honed her ability to speak up for those who most need an advocate.
As a campus embedded in the heart of Washington, DC, Howard has never been insulated from the outside world. And this year is no different—the students we spoke to referred to wide-ranging, specific, and pressing concerns. “We do need to see another person of color in office,” said Shania Smith, a sophomore computer science major. “And we do need that sense of representation regarding reproductive rights.” One thing they all agreed on: It is an honor, a right, and an imperative to exercise their right to vote.
Quincy, Fine Arts Major
Photographed by Blake Spencer