Wisconsin state Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee, encouraged students to take political action in the Nov. 7 midterm elections and beyond at Gordon Commons Thursday.
""‘You must be the change you want to see in the world,'"" Taylor said, referencing a quote by Mahatma Gandhi when discussing the importance of youth voting. She urged students to continue their impressive tradition of voting, noting that Wisconsin's youth turnout in the 2004 Presidential election was the highest in the nation.
The speech was sponsored by the Wisconsin Black Student Union, and Taylor emphasized her racial connection with the students present. She described her life in Milwaukee and her attitude toward going to college.
""I told my mother I didn't want to go to college,"" Taylor said. ""So she told me go to college, or get a job and start paying rent.""
Taylor elaborated on her political awakening by talking about her experiences trying to get into law school and how the racism in a law school in southern Illinois made her come back to Wisconsin ""to be part of the solution.""
Lilia Williams, a member of the UW-Madison Vote 2006 Coalition, a Registered Student Organization devoted to ensuring informed UW-Madison students vote Nov. 7, also emphasized the importance of the student vote. Williams said it was important students sign pledge cards to get reminder calls about voting and signing up to volunteer.
She said while it was excellent the Vote 2006 Coalition registered over 4,200 students at Madison, the registrations do not matter if people do not vote.
""Legislators listen to two things: money and votes,"" Williams said. ""And I don't know about you, but I'm broke.""
Williams also spoke of voter guides created by the Vote 2006 Coalition which show where officials stand on student issues like financial aid, voter identification cards and holistic admissions.
Taylor made this same point, saying, ""If nothing else gets through to you, if you want people to be in this institution like you are, you must act to protect it.""
Taylor also advised students to be active after the elections, encouraging them to work as pages or legislative aides at the Capitol. She said students should hold their leaders accountable by engaging in activities such as watching legislative meetings that are open to the public.
""You're my hope,"" Taylor told students after talking about being the first black woman in the state senate in Wisconsin's history.
