"We Have To Care About What Our Children Care About"

As an educator for over 40 years, I been able to get an up-close view of the issues that young people are most interested in; I believe their concerns have never been more relevant than they are right now. I taught high school English for 34 years and am now an adjunct professor at Stony Brook University. My students care about the world they live in much more than they are given credit for, particularly when it comes to issues such as the environment and women’s rights. They have grave concerns about what they see happening in these two areas and understand that they must get involved to bring about the changes they want.

Many students have undergone quite a bit of consciousness-raising since the last election. The young women I teach will not accept anything less than parity when it comes to envisioning their future careers; they expect equal pay for equal work and they fully intend to get it. The majority of my students, male and female, are pro-choice. Additionally, they want the best for Long Island’s environment because many of them hope to continue living here. For these reasons, a large number of students have chosen to get involved in local elections. I am proud of them, and many live in my own district, CD1. Perry Gershon is their candidate of choice and he is mine as well. I have gone to a few Gershon events and every time, the room is populated with young people who speak knowledgeably on the issues. They are extremely dissatisfied with the voting record of Lee Zeldin and see Perry Gershon as a voice of change, a voice of progress, and as someone who wants to hear what they have to say. Shouldn’t we want to hear what they say as well? My students’ activism has inspired me and has made me want to join them in fighting for change in our country and our county. I have never seen an America as unsettled and divided as it is right now and I strongly believe this sense of divisiveness and partisanship has permeated young peoples lives, more than we often realize. Many are anxious; they worry about the future and this is part of what has propelled them to action.

I am campaigning now for Perry Gershon because I no longer want a puppet of the current administration making choices that directly impact my life. A good indication of the dissatisfaction that most Long Islanders are feeling is seen in how much support Gershon is getting, often from individuals or groups that previously supported Zeldin. After watching Zeldin become part of the extreme right ideals of many in his party, we've had enough. His voting record is abysmal and in no way reflects what I know my students – and my friends – want to see for CD1. Shockingly, he voted with his party to repeal the Affordable Care Act, a direct slap in the face to constituents with pre-existing conditions and who relied on ACA.

As an educator, I often remind students that they represent the future of this country and will have an integral role in creating the changes they hope to see. With insight and commitment, they believe that it’s time for a change in our county. Let’s all vote for progress. Don’t we owe it to them to care as much as they do?