Monthly Archives: December 2021

On November 11th, I also hosted a virtual redistricting event which surrounded the topic of map drawing. This was the first map drawing event I hosted and it was quite nerve wrecking. Through my internship, Redistricting Fellows, I had to host a map drawing event as a part of my requirements of the fellowship. I had a goal/requirement of getting 25 people to draw community of interest maps, and I did not know how I would get that many people to create these maps because I did not even know 25 people at the time. I worked with Michael and Nevaya to coordinate this event as well as our second redistricting/map drawing event which was a week later.

We pushed this event the best we could to the RCL classes as well as well as to other organizations and clubs such as Black Caucus. Nevaya pushed the event to her math class since they were doing a lesson on redistricting, and we also posted about it on different social media sites. During the event, Nevaya, Mikey, and I broke up the roles: Nevaya spoke for the majority of the event, I shared my screen, and Mikey posted links in the chat. We did a walk through of what the event was, its significance, and how to draw a map.

This event made me feel like I was an important factor in my state’s redistricting process, because I was able to educate other students on a very critical, yet hidden democratic process. Many do not know about how redistricting effects us constituents. It is imperative we inform people, specifically college students since we are targeted most, about redistricting and the components of it such as map drawing, testifying at hearings, and more. I really enjoyed hosting this event as well as the second event we had the following week. I would love to do more in the near future and this was definitely a great learning and teaching experience.

On November 11, I met Desmond Meade at at luncheon and during his award ceremony. Desmond received the Brown Democracy Medal of 2021 through the McCourtney Institute of Democracy. Desmond is the Executive Director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRCC). The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRCC) launched Amendment 4, a ballot initiative that asked Florida residents whether voting rights should automatically be restored for people with prior felony convictions. The measure passed in November 2018 with support from 65% of the state’s voters. This amendment re-enfranchised as many as 1.5 million Florida residents who had prior felony convictions. This is the largest expansion of voting rights in the United States during the last fifty years. Desmond continues to work to change disenfranchisement laws and other barriers preventing formerly incarcerated citizens from fully participating in civic life.

Meeting Desmond was definitely a great experience! Desmond had a very hard background prior to him achieving ultimate success. He was formerly homeless and he was also addicted to crack cocaine. He was on the verge of committing suicide but he checked himself into a rehabilitation center for his addiction when his attempt did not go as planned. Once he left rehab, he attended Miami Dade College and eventually attended Florida International University College of Law. Desmond was previously incarcerated for a felony charge and that was a big drive for why he got into the work he does now.

I can relate to Desmond on many levels, and he is a great advocate for change, hard work, and forgiveness. Desmond advocates for voting rights, specifically for felons, which is something I am deeply passionate about. Many people take these rights for granted when they are constitutional rights that everyone should have if they are a United States citizen no matter their history; everyone deserves a second chance. Desmond said something during the luncheon that really stuck with me: “If someone was to get in a car crash, your first words when you arrive to assist them would not be “Are you gay, straight, lesbian, transgender, queer? etc.” This puts forth the idea that labels blind humanity, and if we shift this idea, society can advance and thrive as a unit in several prosperous ways. 

Desmond was in the New York Times 2019 most 1o0 influential people of the world and he is also the recipient of MacArthur Foundation 2021 Genius Award. Desmond inspires me to be a better individual everyday. We have similar backgrounds and similar goals, drives, and objectives so he is truly someone who I admire and look up to. His work is beyond admirable and I am so glad I was fortunate enough to meet him.