With this video I really wanted Native voices to be heard, especially the youth because they are the next generation of leaders that will determine the course of action for their tribes and its’ people.

I also think that it is crucial to understand and acknowledge their perspectives so that all proactive and conscious change may be accomplished.

Native Youth Speak Out

Is anyone else tired of being hassled and harassed by those annoying and extreme presidential nominee supporters? The ones that tell you to vote for this person, and tell you this is where you should vote, and this is when you should vote and if you don’t then you’re a loser.

Anybody walking across UNM main campus will find that they are walking in serpentine paths to class to avoid the stare of these candidate vampires.

They push their propaganda to the point that I want to take back my vote and slam the ballot on their poster plastered tables.

I think regulations need to be enacted on these people that at least the week before election day all these supporter advertisement cease, at least on campus.

Give the public time to breathe and ponder their decision before they cast their vote. Or at least just give me my straight path to class without telling me why I should vote, what if I didn’t want to? Am I a bad person? I thought it was a right? Meaning I have the right to not vote just as much as I have a right to vote?

I’m sure the people who need your information will walk up to your tables out of curiosity, me I just want a sticker and get on my way.

Seriously, campus that allows political and media propaganda should stop a week before election. I’m sure most people would agree with me that it all gets exhausting.

If anyone needed any more influence all they need is turn on the radio, open a paper, or turn on the tube.

As election day draws near it is easy to stray away and get caught up in the moment.

In the past couple of days people have been overly confident in the election of a new president and that “once this president is elected things will begin to be okay.”

But what if things are not okay?

The situation of America has been the accumulation of years and years of mishandling of the interests of its’ people, and is it really going to be fixed in four years?

Realistically, no.

I would not be surprised to see significant change or even the beginning of change until we have had at least four more presidents because of the deep hole that America is in.

As a Native of Acoma and looking at the history of my people and Native people in general, it is not uncommon to not see positive change or even little change until years or hundred of years have passed.

Presidents since Washington have all essentially been the same, only some with better character than others. But change has always come slow or not at all.

So what can we as individuals do in the meantime?

I think that not only should people make an effort to vote, but they should also take this feeling and thinking of activism and involvement to every other aspect of life.

The statistics are out on the news and in the paper that there is a “movement of new voters” because of various reasons like younger people becoming more involved or non-voters being compelled to vote for the first time. For some it is because people want to see change, some want to be part of the process, and some want their voice heard for the first or 50th time.

But should our economy fall, wars waged, health care diminished, and education decline before we get off our butts and do something? Is our capacity to activate ourselves and move towards change end at the polls?

I hope not, otherwise we are some hypocritical and lazy people.

We want change and yet we wait till things get worse before we do something about it. Or feel that voting is the only extent to what we are capable of.

Yes, this may be the beginning of a crucial time in history, and I do not mean to diminish the importance of this election, but let us not stop here! To stop here is to short change ourselves in the long run.

The same drive and passion that has gotten you to watch the debates and be involved in the issues that have been addressed we need to implement in our daily lives and careers.

The same motivation that this election has given us to get up and vote we need to take back to our families and communities to uplift them.

If you feel empowered by the speeches the candidates have given then we need to continue and manifest this empowerment amongst our own people.

From my perspective as a young Acoma woman, there will always be Obamas and McCains and they will always come and go with time.

Let us not make this point of heightened awareness and activism last only during an election, but rather let it spread like wildfire for the rest of generations to see.