By Tricia Cherry —
Disclaimer: This article discusses politics. The views taken in this piece are not the opinions of the writer, the Pulse or any other party. These are the observations of the speaker as was conveyed during the meeting.
The Excellence Exchange program, also known as T.E.E Time (pronounced Tee), is a weekly event that happens every Wednesday from about 11:30 – 12:30, and includes free pizza for anyone who attends. All are welcome and encouraged to bring friends, and the events are overseen and organized by Dr. Benncye Hamilton.
A recent speaker was local aspiring political candidate Antonio Sanders. Mr. Sanders describes himself as a “twenty-two year old living the life of a fifty-year-old man.” Mr. Sanders comes from a family of activists, citing that his grandmother and great-aunt joined the march for Civil Rights in 1965. Sanders himself says he’s been involved with politics since he was five years old. Growing up with his grandmother, her most common reply to complaining was, “I didn’t walk across that bridge to listen to you complain. Go do something about it.”
“The Government should work for and listen to the people it serves…This is our country,” Mr. Sanders said to the young people. “Never let anyone tell you you’re too young to speak up against injustice.”
This led into an interesting point. In US politics, the typical dichotomy is left versus right, but Mr. Sanders argues that the more important and truer battle is actually old versus young. Left or right, the elders are the group that is not only clinging to power but actively denying the younger generation the tools to learn. Many of the older generations, now in their sixties and over, are actively preventing young people from partaking in the conversation.
Unfortunately, rights can be revoked at any time. This is why voting is important. In the 2024 election, roughly ninety-three percent of the country refused to vote. It was not very long ago that minorities were not allowed to vote, and now voting itself is becoming more difficult, with officials closing down polls and revoking registration in several states, including Ohio. Mr. Sanders went on to say that the Obama Administration “tricked” people by making them think that in order to vote, you must be inspired. This is not true, and sometimes your only choices are less than ideal, but this is no reason not to vote.
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When asked about one thing he especially seeks to change should he get into office, Mr. Sanders said, “Just One? Oh boy. I want to be a representative that people not only see that I care but show it in the way [my predecessors] have not.” He went on to say that young people need to be mentored on effective leadership; this is one of the tools being denied by the older generations.
When asked what inspired him to pursue the path of a politician, Sanders said: “I’m tired of corrupt politicians. They refuse to address homelessness, food desserts, and the erosion of democracy. I couldn’t sit by.” He then revealed that last summer, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine gave millions of dollars to the Cleveland Browns to build a stadium last summer. “Politicians should be models of what they want. If you want fair, play fair.”
When asked what young politicians can do to overcome the roadblocks, Sanders admitted that he’s not aware of anything they can do, as the ones in power simply don’t want to focus on young people. All the same, Mr. Sanders encourages young people to run or get involved somehow, even if it’s just to vote – and next year, 2026, is an election year.
Mr. Sanders left with one final thought: “We don’t want to live in a world where the air is not breathable.” We are the ones who will inherit this broken system, and it’s up to all of us to fix it, the sooner the better.