A'brianna DonesDemocratic U.S. Senate nominee Cheri Beasley encouraged students to vote in the upcoming election, stressing the importance of the election Tuesday at N.C. Central University.
In a New Student Center room full of alumni, faculty and students, former N.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice, Cheri Beasley, spoke to a supportive crowd – all motivated to participate in this election cycle. From 2019-2020 Beasley served as the first African-American woman Chief Justice in the N.C. Supreme Court’s 200-year history.
“Frankly for young people this election is about you. It is about you and your future and the ways in which you are making contributions now and will continue to grow and make contributions to North Carolina and to this country,” Beasley said.
In her eight-minute address, Beasley stressed that environmental justice, lower prescription drugs, access to healthcare, good paying jobs, and our constitutional rights are on the ballot this election.
Her opponent Ted Budd, she said, is a supporter of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson ruling to overturn the long established right to abortion. She said he is working relentlessly to take away a woman’s right to make their own reproductive health decisions. “If it can happen once, it can happen again. So all of us really must feel a sense of urgency in this election cycle,” s he said.
Beasley encourage students to pressure their peers to show up to the polls and get involved in this election cycle. She stressed that it’s important for students to be engaged and for their voices each and every election.
“Folks would not be working so hard to take away the right to vote if it didn’t matter. Not only does your right to vote matter, but you matter and the people around you matter and your interest matter,” Beasley explained.
Beasley, who was accompanied by EMILY’S List president Laphonza Butler, said she that is excited about her candidacy, that she is fighting for this generation and future generations to come, and that she will be a senator who addresses student priorities.
“Among the challenges that we are facing in this election cycle, what I know for sure is that Eagles get it,” said Beasley. “Eagles understand the magnitude of this election and understand the sense of urgency that we all must feel. We will be the ones that are activating the folks around us to let them know we can ill afford to sit this election out.”
