Hey ya’ll I’m Ashley Slayton, a  22-year-old from Longview, Texas (soon to be a graduate of Prairie View A&M University) and I’m pumped about You(th) Vote because this is our opportunity to realize our power during a critical time in our nation’s history. I see You(th) Vote as a movement, and what better way to move forward than by discussing issues that affect millions of Americans?Starting with poverty…Just the other day at a barbecue in Herman park a friend of mine said to me….”How could she let herself get in this situation?”But I couldn’t fix my mouth to say that to the woman in front of me. She was clearly homeless, covered in dirt and toting a beat up, rolling suitcase.”If there’s any food left, I’ll take it,” she said.Something inside me shattered. Maybe it was the defeat in her voice that did it or the desperation in her eyes. Maybe it was the fact that we kept eating while she sat on a bench, patiently waiting for us to finish.I didn’t ask her why…and I didn’t go back for seconds.When I was younger I thought I’d carry around brown paper bags with lunches to give to anyone in need. I just knew I’d have a few spare dollars in the ash tray for anyone who stopped me at a light. Now that reality has sunk in, I realize that poverty is bigger than the local homeless man on the corner. Nearly thirty seven million Americans deal with it.What’s it going to take to restore these American’s lives? And are the presidential candidates talking about it enough? The issue’s flown pretty much below the radar during this campaign. It’s been sideswept by petty comments and hidden by the mudslinging. But it’s here and it isn’t going anywhere. What’s your position on the issue?-Ashley

What’s up BET blogosphere!  My name is Travers, I’m 21 y.o., and I’m hyped to be one of the You(th) Vote! bloggers!  

I recently entered this CNN competition that asked college students to make video essays about what it means to be Black in America.  All of the entries were really good, but I most appreciated the ones that focused on opportunities instead of obstacles, triumphs instead of tribulations, and successes instead of statistics. No, it’s not easy being black in America.  However, the only way we’re going to progress is to focus less on what makes life tough, and more on what makes us tougher. 

40 years have passed since Nina Simone recorded her song “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black,” but I believe that TODAY is the best time to be a YGB’er (someone who is Young, Gifted and Black), and I intend to use this blog over the next few months to show you why.  From the Jena 6 and Megan Williams cases to the 2008 presidential race, the voices of young brothers and sisters are being heard, and the world is being forced to listen.  Our “YGB’er of the Week,” T. Winston Shaw, is a prime example of one of us who refuses to be silenced. Check out this 21-year-old poet/activist who, through his debut book of poetry Almost a Poet, spits knowledge on many of the issues that young black Americans face.  (The chapter entitled “Do We Not Sing America, Too?” is BEAST!)

So, what do you think?  Is this our time to shine, or is the spotlight still out of reach?  Why is or isn’t it a beautiful day in the neighborhood?

I look forward to the conversations to come.  As T.I. would say, “Big Things [are about to start] Poppin’.”

—Travers

*If you know of any YGB’ers who are beasting in the areas of politics, social activism, or just life in general, hit me up at TraversJohnson@gmail.com, and tell me why they should be featured as “YGB’er of the Week.”