While his message was clearly focused on activism and youth civic engagement in our country, David Hogg's speech at Brookhaven College effectively resonated with attendees of all ages. The issues of voter apathy and an ill-informed electorate span generations, as does the need to actively promote youth involvement and voter turnout on all levels.
Hogg recounted the incident that called him to activism – the Parkland, Florida shooting on Valentine's Day in 2018. Thirty-four individuals were shot and 17 died. Clad in a black shirt, jeans and black athletic shoes, he spoke about his experience and shared the progression of the March for Our Lives movement and the pressing issue of addressing gun violence in this country.
"The good news is, it can change. To survive as a generation, we have to vote," he said. "It all comes down to us all going out and voting… to create a proper representative democracy in the first place."
He encouraged young people to champion for change by voting and running for office. As a prepared and confident speaker, he capably makes his case for the issues he is most passionate about even when people say he is too young to know what he is talking about.
"It is a time for change," Hogg said. "We have to fight for our future now because if we don't, there won't be a future to fight for."
-This DCCCD event was funded by the Department of Education, Title V - P031S150018