Now through November, Michigan Public is speaking to the state's youngest voters, for insight into the issues driving them to the polls, as part of our What the Vote? series.
For visual artist and activist Navahni Pritchett, the challenges facing young people, and the pursuit of racial justice, are the key issues driving him to the polls this November.
Pritchett is a mixed-media artist from Kalamazoo. His artwork is inspired by motifs and themes from the Black community.
On opportunities for young people
Pritchett said that he wants to see leaders in office who will focus on creating opportunities for young people to thrive. It's an issue that he's particularly focused on in his hometown of Kalamazoo, where he says violence has made that future feel more untenable for many young people.
“So I feel like the youth programs is a very important piece because as we've seen lately in the summertime, there have been a lot of kids that is under 21 or under 18 years old that has been getting killed and being murdered in the streets. And instead of them being murdered in the streets, I feel like they need to have a better future."
On racial justice and representation
When Pritchett cast his vote in the 2024 election, he said he was the only young Black man he saw at his polling place, which was disheartening. For him, the long history of Black voter suppression makes him feel like he has a responsibility to use his voice.
“I have grandparents that was around when the Voting Rights Act passed, and my grandfather always remembered the times, and even my uncle himself remembered the times, when we couldn't vote. And the time my uncle actually could vote was when he actually left before the Vietnam War, and that was back in the early '70s, late '60s," Pritchett said.
"And when it comes down to voting alone for us Black people, we need to go out and vote more because the history behind it, they wouldn't let us vote. They wouldn't even let us read, right? They wouldn't even let us become teachers, doctors. They kept us in the box. So with us having a chance to be outside the box, it actually matters to us because it makes us feel whole as a people."
