By Jack Wynn

As two large screens lowered side-by-side in the Shoemaker Building last Tuesday evening, University of Maryland students prepared to watch the highly-anticipated 2024 vice presidential debate.

The watch party on Oct. 1, organized by the Department of African American and Africana Studies and Black Girls Vote, drew in students from different parts of campus to promote political awareness and voter education.

In addition to providing students the opportunity to watch Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Ohio Senator JD Vance discuss the important issues for the country, students also learned about the role they can play in society. 

“We think that [young people] are going to be the people who make the decisions, who could affect the future in the country,” Jason Nichols, a senior lecturer in the Department of African American and Africana Studies, said. “We want you to make informed decisions. So if we can encourage students to be engaged in the civic process, I think that’s going to help them be better citizens.” 

However, information can only take someone so far. Founding President of UMD’s Black Girls Vote, Denise Demontagnac, explained that the watch party also served to connect with students to help them get involved in the election process.

“[We are aiming to] provide resources and speak with students who are looking for more resources or don’t know where to start when it comes to voting,” Demontagnac said.

According to Demontagnac, a senior government and politics major, Black Girls Vote is a national nonprofit and nonpartisan organization aimed at teaching young black women and young women in general how to use their voices through leadership, legislation and community service.

“The funniest thing I ever hear from students my age is that their vote does not matter,” Demontagnac said. “You’re not voting to change [just] your life … you’re voting to change your children’s lives, [and] change their children’s lives.”

Students at the watch party were exposed to topics during the debate that included women’s reproductive rights, climate change action, foreign wars and global conflict, immigration and democracy as a whole. 

“It’s a good exercise for [students] to be informed so that we can bring some of that information back into the classroom and have substantive conversations about politics and how it affects…usually African Americans and other marginalized people,” Nichols said.

Tuesday’s event was one example of the many collaborative events between departments on campus. As the watch party was an open-door event, students of all different political backgrounds were welcome to participate in discussion and watch the evening’s event, creating an atmosphere of open-minded discourse. 

“[Students] know they’re entering a space that’s meant to be welcoming. It’s meant to be focussed on celebrating democracy,” Laura Ours, UMD’s  School of Behavioral and Social Sciences communications director, said. “A night like tonight is just, ‘let’s come together, let’s see what happens, let’s react [and] let’s have our voices heard.’”

As the debate concluded, students were asked to complete a survey gauging how the debate influenced their views of the positions of both candidates and campaigns.

“I think it’s an important time and a crucial time for both [tickets],” Sesen Amanuel, junior criminal justice major, said. “It was different from what the Presidential debate was, and it was important for young people to see this event.”

Featured Image: Students watch the vice presidential debate in the Shoemaker Building last Tuesday evening. Photo by Theodore Rose.