10-24-2021 Women to Watch - Flipbook - Page 45
FIGHT
FOR OTHERS’
RIGHTS
Meet four young activists who did not let the pandemic
stop their quest for racial and gender equity
By Olivia Green and Rose Wagner
W
hile the coronavirus pandemic has
pressed pause on the lives of many, four
young Baltimore-based activists have
been full steam ahead, pivoting during the pandemic to continue to fight for racial and gender equity.
These activists, all 25 years old or younger, have used
their power to organize protests, found community
organizations and advocate for changes to public
policies, all while challenging traditional conceptions of what young people are capable of.
Autumn Grant
24, co-leader of the collegiate committee of Black Girls Vote, chief of staff for State Sen. Arthur Ellis
Autumn Grant became enamored
with politics in third grade, when her
class took a field trip from Baltimore to
the state capital in Annapolis.
“It was transformative,” Grant said. “I
remember it feeling like such a special
place.”
Grant’s life became one defined by
political involvement. She was a leader
in student government throughout high
school, worked on the campaigns of local politicians and volunteered with
community organizations.
When Freddie Gray was killed during her freshman year at American University, Grant was determined to unite
Black women on her campus.
She founded the American University chapter of Black Girls Vote, a nonprofit based in Baltimore that focuses
on empowering Black women to vote
and become politically involved.
Now, while juggling her job as chief
of staff for state Sen. Arthur Ellis, she
coleads the committee in charge of overseeing all four college chapters of Black
Girls Vote. Grant acts as an adviser and
mentor to young women who are looking to become leaders themselves.
“It’s about really looking into the
societal impact that ultimately controls the way women of color interact
with the political system, whether it is
through understanding needs of child
care, or understanding socioeconomic
status, or understanding just the way
voting in urban environments or communities of color is traditionally looked
at,” Grant said.
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