Jackson Free Press

The 2004 JFP/Collective Youth Voter Rally started with a bang. In case anyone thought the JFP-sponsored rally was going to be some "pinko" event, Ayana had scheduled Jim Giles as our first speaker. You know, Jim Giles, the whites-first dude who is running against Rep. Chip Pickering for Congress and who makes Chip look a bit rosy around the edges. Some folks were shocked when Giles headed to the stage, his big-ass Confederate flag-emblazoned pick-up truck parked out front. But, as Ayana and I and host Kamikaze explained to the crowd, the JFP rally was a free-speech zone. We'd asked people to not engage in personal attacks and to stick to the issues. Of course, for Mr. Giles, the issues are how much special treatment "the negroes" (his word) get.

And he told the crowd just that—to boos and looks of alarm from liberals and conservatives alike. A few folks walked into Soulshine to cool off. No need to quote him directly, but Giles yelled to an unconvinced crowd—many of whom seemed to want to escort him outside themselves—about his "white" ideas, and then left. As he strode out of Hal & Mal's, Ayana followed him at a distance just to make sure he got to his truck OK. This wasn't exactly a Black Hawk crowd, if you know what I mean.

After Giles, though, the evening just got better and better. In that gothic Southern surreal way, Clinton B. LeSueur was up next, beaming and preaching in his charming way about his fundamentalist brand of politics. Then, over the next four hours, various candidates and their representatives took the stage, as well as folks pro and con the Convention Center, using their five minutes to tell the attendees (we're estimating about 300 over the full five hours) why they are right and should get their vote. In between, all sorts of performers entertained the crowd—from anti-folk singer Kirk Kelly (who flew in from New York for the night) to the alt-country of GoodmanCOUNTY to the rap of Suede 1 to the rock 'n' rap of Storage 24 with Kamikaze to the smooth hip-hop of DJ Phingaprint.

But in many ways, it was what happened off stage that made me all warm and fuzzy. First of all, you would have had to see the crowd to really believe it: It was so incredibly diverse, with young African Americans probably as young as 8 with their parents to white hipsters in their late 20s. There were hip-hop artists and hippies and deadheads and punks and preppies and Greens and Republicans. They wandered around, chatting with each other, getting free VOTE 2004 t-shirts (courtesy of us, Blockwear and Studio Chane), checking out the voting machine. There was literature everywhere—about all sorts of candidates and issues. It was kind of like the Neshoba County Fair, but a whole helluva cooler and diverse. All were welcome here.

The absolute best part to me, though, was watching our young citizens being taken seriously. The candidates were going table to table, shaking their hands. (LeSueur's young street team was giving out free green Clinton B. LeSueur pencils; is he working the sweet-pea angle?) If there was any feeling in the air, it was that our city's, our state's, our country's newest "greatest generation" was taken seriously that night. Even as national candidates and polls fly over us on toward a swing state, and the assumptions that Mississippi voters all think alike run rampant, this rally of young folks showed that it just wasn't true.

This was really apparent during the panel discussion that took place in the hour before the presidential debate came on. The line-up was just super: JSU grad and independent thinker Cordie Aziz, Republican Elijah Myrick of Millsaps, Libertarian Jack Criss (author of "Ready, Aim, Right!," available at Lemuria), Democrat Brad Corban of Millsaps and Silas Green, of the League of Pissed-Off Voters (indyvoter.org) and contributor to "How to Get Stupid White Men Out of Office" (softskull.com). All live in Jackson, except for Green who flew in for the event from Orlando, Fla. (See photo of panelists on page 7.)

Kamikaze moderated the panel, which focused largely on the Iraq War and the economy. It was respectful, and the panelists seem to genuinely like each other despite their differences. Not a single disrespectful comment or personal insult crossed anyone's lips. (There was some thinking that Jim Giles' performance early on might have served as a unifying factor.) It was real debate and all from young people under 26 (expect for Criss, who is a youthful 39.)

During the discussion, the audience sat and listened, talking very little. I got the feeling that some of them, including the old fogies among them like me, were simply mesmerized at what they were witnessing in Jackson, and the possibilities of getting these young people involved in the political system. (Perhaps some of them were quaking a bit with fear at the thought. Good.)

The truth is, young people care about issues. They care about the war. They care about the economy. They say they don't like to be patronized, they want to be respected, they want to be listened to. And from what they tell me, they sure don't like it when people assume that they're a bunch of uncaring nitwits, because they're not.

But many aren't engaged in the political system, in large part because they don't have outlets such as what we all came together to do Thursday night. They seldom have media who care about their opinions, although they did Thursday night. Every major media in the city—TV stations, Associated Press, Mississippi Public Broadcasting, The Clarion-Ledger—were there talking to them. WLBT, hands down, gets the biggest props for its coverage, though. Their reporter showed up at 4 p.m, went live at 5 and 6 to help get people there and did an in-depth piece at 10 p.m. in which he talked to young people about voting and why the rally mattered to them.

Yes, this rally was special, and we're going to do one every election cycle. However, the bigger message is that our young people need more outlets such as these to express their opinions and to be heard. And to meet each other and overcome silly divisions. They are our next greatest generation, you know. Let's give 'em some respect.

Previous Comments

ID

69402

Comment

I was the final candidate to speak for the evening, and I had gotten there at 5:00. I want to thank you for the invitation and for the opportunity to speak. For me, the best part of the event was getting to see some people who are my friends but who I had been unable to see for the past few years. The evening was a wonderful way for me to get to visit with them! I also had the chance to meet some new friends too! I also appreciated all of the music. I tried to thank each of the musicians personally but did not get to speak to all of them. I also saw some musicans there who were not performing but with whose music I was acquainted. I will be happy to assist the Jackson Free Press at more such events in the future as I when I am a member of the Hinds County Election Commission representing the Fifth District. Thank you, Terry Johnson Terry, Mississippi

Author

danfling

Date

2004-10-08T08:28:57-06:00