Stacey Abrams to Visit Hopkins for Democracy Assembly Series

Claire Billings ’25 Lead News Editor

As part of this fall’s Democracy Assembly theme, Hopkins will be hosting several important guest speakers, most notably former Georgia State Representative and gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams. Speakers will also visit sections of the senior-school Twenty-first Century Democracy elective, designed by Assistant Head of School John Roberts, which studies and dissects different pieces of modern government and involves a distinctive experiential component where students work on a local campaign.

History teacher Zoe Resch is eagerly anticipating this year’s speakers: “Their stories are some of the most profound things that happen at Assemblies, and Hopkins is really lucky to be able to bring back both alums

and outside speakers that can share those experiences.”

In a competitive election year, this speaker series is only one of many opportunities for Hopkins students to explore politics. Despite 18-25 year olds typically having the lowest voter turnout rates in elections, a study connected by the University of Berkeley shows that younger voters have the numbers to decide the election. The increasingly politically active Generation Z is widely considered by pollsters to be a major focus of both the Harris and Trump campaigns.

This new attention can be seen as part of a larger increase in political engagement among young Americans. One study conducted by Tufts CIRCLE suggested 76% of youth believe young people have the power to change the country, a movement in which Hopkins students have been at the forefront. Terrell Tolson ’26 and Chloe Wang ’26, along with several other local high schoolers, founded the nonprofit Connecticut Speech and Action hoping to use their backgrounds in Debate and Model UN to create a platform to share political ideas and inspire action. Explained Wang, “I think just more youth involved in politics is always going to be a
good thing, regardless of where they fall on the political scale or political spectrum.”

Wang and Tolson have both been working on local campaigns this summer, including that of Hopkins ’24 parent State Senator James Maroney. For both, this is the first election season they’ve really been involved in. They’re not alone: The upper end of Gen- Z is now in their late 20s, while the younger end of the generation is experiencing their first election as teens. Nora Brock ’25 has also been following the election more this year. “I

feel old and mature enough to better understand what’s actually going on and how it could drastically affect the trajectory of our country,” she explained. For his part, Tolson has noted a shift in energy: “I feel like this election in particular, younger generations have been the most involved.” Similarly, Resch drew parallels with the progressive era of the sixties, describing “huge social divisions in this country, but an increasing youthful desire to make positive change and work towards more rights and preservation of freedoms for everyone.”

The search for “positive change” goes beyond politicians and campaigns. Sarah Galvani-Townsend ’25

spent this summer doing research in a Yale epidemiology lab and serving on the board of local nonprofit Medicare for All CT, which advocates for universal healthcare. While elections have boosted youth involvement,

Galvani-Townsend said “it’s important not to let politics take energy from activism and other long-term causes.”

The Democratic Party’s move to replace 81-year old-incumbent Joe Biden with 59-year-old Vice President Kamala Harris rejuvenated their campaign, sparking record fundraising. Wang noted that while door

knocking for local campaigns, more people have been willing to talk to her since the switch: “I think there's

a lot more of an overall enthusiasm for the race. People were excited and motivated and really mobilized.”

Much of this energy came on social media. Both candidates have official accounts on major social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Trump’s own Truth Social. Brock has noticed different accounts with

usernames like “Team Kamala” or “Team Trump” vying to gain followings through political memes. Maddie

Blank ’28 said that while political content “is entertaining for me personally, I’m not old enough to vote, so I

don’t really feel the need to learn a ton about politics.” While the Harris campaign has especially leaned into pop culture, analysts from major outlets like the Wall Street Journal and New York Times point out that the Trump campaign has also been attempting to reach out to Gen-Z, in particular disaffected younger men frustrated with a lack of change. Tolson suggested that, through social media, politics have become “more accessible...I think that it’s going to force the youth to get more engaged and more involved.”

Resch is eager to watch how increased youth involvement will continue to affect politics, leaving students with a quote from her dad, “Don’t agonize, organize...if you’re upset about how things are, the only way to bring it about is to work at making that change.”

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Stacey Abrams to Visit Hopkins for Democracy Assembly Series