Clip of the Week: Millennials Are Doing It For Themselves

Millennials-- the population of young people born between 1981 and 1996-- have had every insult thrown at them by older generations: accusations of laziness, apathy and entitlement are common for a youth that is believed to have had it far easier with a wealth of technology and not having lived through a world wars, disease epidemics, depressions or massive social upheaval like the Civil Rights Movement. While younger generations have not had the same experiences as their elders, they are the most educated generation while living with extreme student debt, leaving them unable to escape arrears, save money or afford to own homes, as American wages have remained stagnant since the recession of 2008, right when many millennials were making their way into the workforce. But recent events: the 2016 Presidential election, mass gun violence, the diminishing of the Voting Rights Act, infringements on women's reproductive autonomy and setbacks for LGBTQ rights have begun to galvanize a generation who are suddenly realizing their power. While many young people are in favor of change, many do not see themselves reflected in American government, nor do they see the promised change from politicians intending on upholding the status quo come into fruition, and in turn find themselves indifferent to the democratic process that doesn't serve them. And the dismantling of the Voting Rights Act in 2013 has made it even harder for young people, poor people and people of color to vote. Millennials are drawn to bold, radical ideas, but there are immense hurdles that prevent hope becoming action and change.

In this Clip of the Week, MNN and Free Speech TV spotlight young voters and young leaders actively working for a better future through policy in Elections 2018, The Progessive Path Forward: Young Voters. Host Laura Flanders steers this panelist comprised of Democracy Spring's Renaldo Pearson, Flippable's Catherine Vaughn, Millennial Politics' Nathan Rubin, and New York District 14 Congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who just won her primary against stalwart incumbent Joe Crowley on Tuesday, June 26, in a stunning upset. As she prepares for the general election in November, we think about what it will take to inspire millennials not just to hit the polls but stand up to become the change they want to see, as we have witnessed that toppling the old guards and inspiring a political party to become relentless crusaders in the name of progress is possible. Watch the whole episode now.