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By: Grace Engelman Last week, I attended the 6th Congressional Candidate Forum at Kentucky State University along with a few other KSEC members. As a part of KSEC’s Political Working Group, I feel a personal duty to not only keep tabs on Kentucky politics, but also to ensure that the concerns of young Kentuckians are a part of our political dialogue. Most of the 6th District Congressional candidates were in attendance, including Democrats Jim Gray and Reggie Thomas. While the forum was certainly informative, it was a reminder that we, the public, are often unable to control the political narrative. Not only was the audience prohibited from taking photos or videos; audience members’ opportunity to contribute to the discussion was limited to submitting notecards that were drawn at random. I had gone into the forum with the hopes of contributing to the discussion. Instead, the event seemed to be more for the candidates’ stump speeches than it was for the voters. Politics is no longer a dialogue between voter and candidate; it feels as though the electorate is being talked at, not talked to.
This is a common theme in today’s political climate. Sure, many of us may be able to cast a vote. But, only the media and the politicians themselves control the narrative. In my experience, every candidate event is just another opportunity to outline their platform on social welfare or the pension or the budget or taxes. All of these issues are obviously important, but they are not the only issues that concern Kentuckians. As a young Kentuckian, I would like to know these politicians’ plans for coal severance and a just transition; I would like to know how they will take action to mitigate the effects of climate change; I would like to know if and how they plan to address the growing socioeconomic inequality faced by millions of Americans. When these candidates do discuss the environment, they say that it must be protected, but very little is said on how we will take action to save our planet. When they do talk about the rights of people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, women, and other oppressed groups, they go on about equality, but rarely do they offer specific policy proposals to promote this equality. We won’t settle for the mere mention of “environmental protection” and “equal rights” when these candidates won’t propose actual political solutions. It is time for us to demand our voices to be heard, to make a place for ourselves in today’s political discourse, and to change the narrative. It is time that young Kentuckians have a seat at the table. We will no longer be ignored.
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Where are you located and what’s your favorite thing to do there? I am located in Louisville, particularly in the Southend. Most definitely, my favorite thing to do is visit the falls of the Ohio. I especially loved crawling through the caves and taking as many rocks as I could fit in my pockets home as child. What work are you doing within KSEC and what drives your passion for it? Previously, I have been a delegate for my school. Two things really drive me to do this, first being how educational the experience is. I have learned so much about the issues and people of Kentucky throughout my term that I no longer hold certain biases and can hold educated conversations about the future of my state. Second, it has made me feel that I am a part of something larger than myself and my school. This immensely motivating for me to continue the battle that is social justice. What are you most looking forward to in your work with KSEC? I am looking forward to attaining more skills that will shape me into a proactive organizer so that no matter where I end up for college or adulthood, I know that I can take a stand against injustice around me. What is your favorite hobby or activity? Despite its seamless lack of purpose, I love reading mangas and manhwas (Japanese and Korean comics). What’s your favorite food? It changes every time I am asked, but right now it is Kroger brand coffee flavor ice cream. If you could go anywhere for a day, where would you go? I would love to go to Ecuador. My close friend is Ecuadorian and she tells amazing stories about their markets, the city life, and the beautiful rainforests. CACI Where are you located and what’s your favorite thing to do there? I live in London. When the weather is nice, we like to go out walking and get some fresh air. We split our time between Main Street, Levi Jackson Park, and the Veteran's Park in town. What work are you doing within KSEC and what drives your passion for it? I work full-time as the Eastern Kentucky Organizer. I spend my time working on just transition issues and providing support to Eastern Kentucky campuses. I'm from Bell County, and I've spent my life hearing about how we'll never have jobs here and we'll never have a future. I grew up, like most of my peers, planning to leave as soon as possible. But now I believe that there is a future for Kentucky and for Appalachia, and I'm excited to be a part of the solution. What are you most looking forward to in your work with KSEC? I'm excited to work with other young people, to feel connected to the community, and to help other young people feel that they can have a future in Kentucky. I love being in a room filled with KSEC members who feel hopeful and energized. What is your favorite hobby or activity? I love any sort of creative pursuit, especially if it has a result I can share with my friends. I spend a lot of time cooking, writing, and playing Dungeons & Dragons on the weekends. What’s your favorite food? I'm a huge fan of anything cinnamon, and will never turn down cinnamon rolls or French toast. If you could go anywhere for a day, where would you go? I'd love to visit all of America's National Parks, but honestly I'd probably just disappear up into the Smokies and spend the day reading and hiking. CARA Where are you located and what’s your favorite thing to do there? I live in Lexington and my favorite thing to do is to go out dancing. We have a great music scene and several really fun venues. Al's Bar is probably my favorite place to go because they have cheap cocktails , has an awesome Caribbean restaurant inside (Fida's) and it's walking distance from my house. What work are you doing within KSEC and what drives your passion for it? I work with KSEC's State Network, Political Working Group, Gas and Pipelines Working Group, and our summer camp, Catalyst. I feel really lucky to do this work because I believe that young people have the power to create a better, more just and sustainable future. KSEC allows me to connect young Kentuckians to grassroots organizing skills and a supportive network so that they can be a part of the movement. What are you most looking forward to in your work with KSEC? I look forward to meeting even more awesome and inspiring young Kentuckians and helping to build a bigger, more inclusive state network. What is your favorite hobby or activity? I love to grow, cook and share food with my friends and neighbors. What’s your favorite food? This question is too hard. Depends on the day and the season! If you could go anywhere for a day, where would you go? I've been thinking a lot about visiting Glacier National Park lately. Ya know, before all the glaciers melt MEAGAN Where are you located and what’s your favorite thing to do there? I am located in Paducah Kentucky and my favorite thing to do is take my niece to the park. What work are you doing within KSEC and what drives your passion for it? I am in an internship as a student to give political workshops, host events, and recruit people to build a long term partnership on campus. I am passionate about this because I feel like many people my age would like to stand for something bigger than themselves and I am excited to be able to show them the tools to do that and make friends with like minded people along the way. What are you most looking forward to in your work with KSEC? Bird dogging politicians. What is your favorite hobby or activity? My favorite hobby is hiking and going on nature walks and learning about plants. What’s your favorite food? My favorite food is Pizza. If you could go anywhere for a day, where would you go? If I could go anywhere for a day I would go to Bhutan. OLIVIA Where are you located and what’s your favorite thing to do there? I am located in Hazard Kentucky. Things I like to do in my town is a lot of community gardening, I am a member of Grow Appalachia and I'm starting to think that may be my dream job. What work are you doing within KSEC and what drives your passion for it? The work that I'm doing in KSEC, is an internship to build grassroots leadership and political engagement in my area and especially my community college. What are you most looking forward to in your work with KSEC? The thing I look forward to most working with KSEC is that, though I preach against littering I don't really make that much of a difference, I want to produce change in my area. I want to spread awareness and help bring information to those who it normally wouldn't reach. What is your favorite hobby or activity? My favorite hobby would definitely have to be gardening, along with painting and creating a tiny house. What’s your favorite food? My favorite food is hard to choose, type of food would definitely be Indian food. If you could go anywhere for a day, where would you go? If I could go anywhere today, it would be to Ireland, or Iceland. ALLISON Where are you located and what’s your favorite thing to do there? I am from Murray but I live in Lexington to work for KSEC! I love going to the climbing gym, which is only a few blocks from my apartment. What work are you doing within KSEC and what drives your passion for it? I am serving as KSECs Communications and Development Director as an Americorps VISTA ( Americorps is a national service program, you should look into it!). I plan fundraisers, seek out and apply for grants, and work with members on KSEC communications stuff like blogs, letters to the editor, news interviews, social media, and more. I am passionate about empowering young Kentuckians to take a stand for the issues they care about. When we work together, I know we can create a more just and sustainable Kentucky. Communications and fundraising is essential to ensuring KSEC can continue empowering young Kentuckians to pursue their vision for a brighter future. I am so grateful I get to work for an organization I love while nerding out on communications and fundraising! What are you most looking forward to in your work with KSEC? I look forward to amplifying the voices of our incredible KSEC members. I am also excited about ensuring organizational resiliency through fundraising and grant writing! What is your favorite hobby or activity? Hanging out with friends and the amazing folks I know through KSEC makes pretty much anything amazing. Top of the activity list for me, though, is climbing out in the beauty of the Red River Gorge (thanks to the Cumberland Chapter of the Sierra Club for saving it from being dammed up!). What’s your favorite food? If I weren’t trying to minimize my consumption of animal products, I’d say cheese tots from Sonic. But since I’m trying to be more a more ethical eater, my new favorite food is homemade TVP tacos! If you could go anywhere for a day, where would you go? Idaho hot springs somewhere off the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. Or San Francisco. Or Vancouver. Or Yosemite. Idk. By: Cameron Baller Young people are in danger. Our present and our future are threatened by everything from rampant gun violence to corrupt politicians and climate change. Those of us under 18 have no political rights to address the ways our lives are threatened. The rest of us are struggling under tens of thousands in student loan debt and an economy that requires five years’ experience for an entry-level job. In addition, we are continuously degraded by the narrative that we are lazy, apathetic, and entitled. Despite these obstacles, we in the environmental, climate, and racial justice movements have been loud about the threats we face and the solutions we need. We aren’t apathetic, you just aren’t listening.
The Kentucky Student Environmental Coalition (KSEC) has been fighting for our future since 2007. We have won six campaigns promoting campus sustainability, worked hard to champion a just transition to clean energy, launched a summer camp to train young organizers, marched, rallied, voted and much more. Still, we youth are dismissed. This dismissal is embodied by HB227, which caps solar credits and makes it much harder for homeowners with private solar installations to get a return on their investment. This blatant attack on the solar industry threatens the livelihoods of 1,200 solar workers and runs contra to the needs of young Kentuckians. KSEC’s Just Transition Working Group focuses on the economic and environmental challenges unique to Appalachian Kentucky. Our overarching goal is making Appalachia a place where young people can stay. We conducted a survey of over 100 young Appalachians to find out which economic sectors most appeal to them as they look to the region’s future. 63% of respondents cited renewable energy as something they were particularly excited about. Political leaders in Frankfort ought to take notice. Unfortunately, through HB227, special interests are working to weaken Kentucky’s burgeoning solar industry. Last week, Kentucky Coal Association President Tyler White wrote an Op-Ed supporting HB227 that was chock-full of misinformation. White cited Germany as an example of solar’s failings. While it is true that Germany both produces a significant amount of solar energy and has some of the highest electricity prices of any country, the correlation does not imply causation. Taxes and fees are responsible for driving up Germany’s electricity prices, not solar. They account for approximately 54% of electricity costs in Germany, according to a report by Ellen Thalman and Benjamin Wehrmann. Next, White argued that net metering policies shift costs onto other consumers. However, a report from the Brookings Institute found that net metering “frequently benefits all ratepayers when all costs and benefits are accounted for.” The report even states, “far from a net cost, net metering is in most cases a net benefit—for the utility and for non-solar ratepayers…. [D]istributed solar offers net benefits to the entire electric grid through reduced capital investment costs, avoided energy costs, and reduced environmental compliance costs.” Solar energy is exploding nationally and globally. It is essential that our legislators see through the misinformation behind HB227 so that Kentucky is not left in the dust. Furthermore, given the threats facing younger generations—a destabilized climate, debilitating debt, and food and water insecurity— older generations are morally obligated to amplify our voices and legislators are morally obligated to listen to us. To start, that moral obligation includes calling your legislators and asking them to reject HB227. You don’t even have you know who your legislator is, just call the legislative message line ask to leave a message for them. Fighting for our future demands taking meaningful action to support young Kentuckians. By Sadie Lawrence Where We Are From
By Sadie Lawrence We are from the dirt A small seed That has grown From the earth To a magnificent, towering oak We are from the ashes A fiery phoenix That has risen From the remains To emerge burning and powerful We are from the clouds A thundering storm That has formed From electrical charge To rain down strength and beauty We are from the ground A pounding river That has washed away doubts From the bank of our past To flow clean and clear on the path to the future *** It is my belief that we are all made from the same stuff. We are formed from the stardust leftover from when the universe erupted into existence. And we are all humans. We all want the best for ourselves and our children, our future. Since I joined KSEC last semester, I have felt increasingly empowered to make my small part of the universe heard. I organized an art gallery last semester revolving around the theme “Problems and Solutions in the Community.” I also helped plan a Determination Rally with the Young Earth Activists Club at my high school advocating against the pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement. And now I am working with KSEC’s Political Working Group to plan the Rise Up Kentucky Rally on February 12th in Frankfort. This rally is all about making youth’s voices heard. We may be from fewer years, but that doesn’t mean we don’t care about the looming future. In fact, I’ve heard from many of my peers and from personal experience that the future gives many young people a lot of anxiety. We’re not sure what to do next. We ask which stepping stone will be the most stable and sturdy? What will happen if we choose the wrong one? When I am unsure about the next step to take, it’s easy to shut down and try to take comfort in knowing someone else could always fill my place. There are always other people with more passion and more knowledge. “It won’t matter what I do anyway. I’m just one person in a world of 7 billion.” But the thing is, every single person counts. Every single person’s stardust is needed to make up the universe. Without it, the world we live in would be very different. Right now, this generation and those to come are being threatened by a changing climate, air and water pollution, and an economy that extracts our wealth and our health. For me, KSEC gave me a way to combat that anxiety and gave me actions I can take to address the problems at hand. I have ways to contribute and ways to show people that I am not apathetic about my future. This is one of the goals of the upcoming Rise Up Kentucky Rally: to learn new tactics to resist threats. We are showing that KSEC has enabled youth in the past. That we have empowered young people before, and we are continuing to now. That our fight for the future won’t stop. And that there are ways for our stardust to shine in a darkening world. By Cara Cooper, KSEC Statewide Organizer  It feels like I’ve been holding my breath a little bit since the 2016 election results. What will happen next? Where will the next threat hit us? It seems like there is no shortage of things happening to make me feel enraged. To be honest it’s been hard to keep up. The problem is that I can’t just become numb- decision makers need to hear from us. Often they only hear from paid lobbyists on the issues that impact us and even just mobilizing a few calls or letters can make a huge difference. We saw this earlier this year when KSEC and other solar advocates mobilized enough calls to Senator Carpenter that he pulled his bad solar bill off the docket. It can and has been done. And on top of that I know that is on our generation to step up and shape our vision for a just and sustainable Kentucky because we are inheriting the responsibility of protecting our communities and natural resources for our future and the future generations. We can’t let ourselves get overwhelmed or to give in to the feeling of powerlessness. The only way that we are going to win is if we stand together and show that we are powerful and united across the state.
My face when I'm scrolling through all the bad news That is why we need a rapid response network. What if we had an easy way to identify the issues that we can have the most impact on, educate our friends about these issues across the state and mobilize dozens (or many, many more) responses as soon as a new threat arises? Now we can. Our new Rapid Response Network (RRN) is a peer-to-peer texting network that will allow us to connect with members across the state who have agreed to take action when we need it most. We’re partnering with watchdog organizations in Kentucky to quickly learn about new issues as they pop up and recruiting a team of texters and responders to get the word out and to take quick, strategic action. With the RRN we can mobilize quickly to show our unity and power like never before.
What does the RRN look like? Basically, watchdog organizations will alert a Rapid Response Network INITIATOR who will craft the action alert, gather resources and notify TEXTERS. Then our TEXTERS will send action alert text messages to our RESPONDERS using a peer-to-peer texting app called Relay and RESPONDERS will jump into action (anything ranging from making a phone call to the governor to submitting a letter to the editor to your local paper, to planning or attending a local vigil or rally). Don’t worry, TEXTERS will be there to support our RESPONDERS with resources and tools to make it easy. Read more about the roles here.  When we work together and mobilize simultaneously across the state there is no doubt in my mind that we will blow the minds of our legislators and other decision makers with our coordination and power. We might not be able to stop every new threat to our environment but we sure as hell can make our voices heard. #ForOurFuture
In order for this plan to be successful we need committed people to sign up and for everyone to take action. You can sign up to be an INITIATOR, TEXTER or RESPONDER and someone will follow up with you to answer any questions you have before getting started. The actions we take (or don’t) really matter right now. Help us show that our generation is not apathetic and be a part of a real, tangible way to get your voice heard. Sign up now! |
AboutThe Young Kentuckian is a blog of the Kentucky Student Environmental Coalition where youth share their work and ideas for Kentucky's bright future. Follow The Young Kentuckian on Facebook!
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