Hillary the clear choice for African-American millennials

For millennial voters, the stakes couldn’t be higher in this year’s election. On the ballot is the future direction of our job market, student loan debt, housing costs, environment and ability to realize the American dream. For those of us who are among the 11.5 million African-American millennials living in the United States, the list is even longer. We are concerned that too many of us are in the pipeline to prison and not to college. We are concerned about being treated fairly on our jobs. We’re concerned about the high barriers to entrepreneurship. And we are seriously concerned about not being turned into a hashtag by our local law enforcement officers.

{mosads}That’s why it’s critically important for African-American millennials to vote in this election. The next president will have a direct impact on our lives that will last well beyond the next four to eight years. Our next president will be able to finally answer the millennial war cry: Alleviate our student loan debt! And, the next president will play a critical role in securing social justice in this country through both the management of the Justice Department and the possible lifetime appointments of two to three Supreme Court justices.

For African-American millennials who are looking for a smart, respectful and consistent leader to be our president, Hillary Clinton is our choice. Hillary has spent her entire life fighting for Americans at every level and in particular has been a friend to our community, even since she was our age. As I look back on my own life, and think about Hillary’s candidacy, three big factors show me that Hillary has what it takes to be one of our country’s greatest presidents.

1: After Hillary graduated from law school, she went to work in Alabama for an African-American woman: Marian Wright Edelman at the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF). While working at CDF, Hillary posed as a young mother who was trying to enroll her child in an all-white, segregated school. Through her covert operation, she uncovered that there were still schools that were discriminating against African-American children. Her work helped to end the tax-exempt status for schools that discriminated against African-American kids. Now more than ever, we need a president who will stand up to fight for all children, especially African-American children who are too often left behind.

2: When Hillary is our president, she will fight for universal pre-kindergarten, so that every child has the opportunity to live up to their full potential. Universal pre-K would significantly reduce the achievement gaps in math and reading for African American and low income children. I was once that kid, living in a low-income housing project in Peoria, Ill. At that time, my mom did not have the financial resources to send me to private school when I was four years old. However, I was lucky enough that she enrolled me into the Head Start program, which gave me the educational foundation that enabled me to thrive as a student and today as a professional.

3: Hillary gets it. She understands that #BlackLivesMatter is more than a hashtag — it’s a clarion call to foster a deeper understanding between the African-American community and law enforcement officials. When I was a junior in high school, one of my friends didn’t understand why I was writing my capstone research paper on the topic “driving while black.” I wrote that paper because, as a then 17-year-old, I did not understand why I had been pulled over at least two times without explanation. We need a president who understands this problem and believes that no person in America should have to be subject to any type of discrimination. During Hillary’s very first speech of her campaign, she addressed racial disparities in America and called for the “end of mass incarceration” and a ban on racial profiling. Hillary knows what we know as African-American millennials, what I knew then as a high school student — that “we must recognize some hard truths about race and justice in America in order to reform our criminal justice system.”

For her entire career, Hillary has shown a deep commitment to justice for all and lifting all boats. This election is too important for us to sit out. We need to not just go to the polls but turn out in record numbers. Not voting is the same as supporting Hillary’s opponent, a candidate who spews backward rhetoric and has repeatedly attacked Muslims, African-Americans, Latinos and people with disabilities. That’s not an option.

For all of our futures, vote for Hillary Clinton to be our next president of the United States.

Kouri Marshall is the executive director of Democratic GAIN, founder of 3K1A Strategies and is the former D.C. state Director for President Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign.

The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the views of The Hill.